Stakeholders on education security and safety of schools has called for a review of the Armed Forces Act .
A National stakeholders partnership on Safe Schools Declaration meeting held on Tuesday 11th of December 2018 in Abuja with participants stressing the need for full implementation of the declaration.
The meeting which held at the Peniel Apartment, Abuja was attended by CSO Organizations working on Education Sector and representatives of Ministries of Education, Women Affairs, National Orientation Agency, National Defence College, the Media and Academics from the Six Geo Political Zones of the Country.
The meeting considered the Safe School Declaration Background, Process and Legal Findings, Comparative analysis of proposed amendment as well as building Synergies and engaging for legislative Advocacy.
The meeting was facilitated by Safe the Children lnternational, Plan lnternational and the Federal Ministry of Education
The Safe School declaration, an international convention which Nigeria endorsed in 2015 seeks to protect educational institutions from been used as military base in time of crisis.
While commending the Nigeria Armed Forces and other paramilitary organisations for their effort to return peace to the North East in particular and other crises affected parts of the Country, participants noted that temporary conversion of Schools to military base exposes such institutions to attack more than being a safe abode.
“Explicit protection of Schools from military use is now accepted norm world wide. Of the 49 Countries surveyed in 2011 by Human Right watch, 27 have adopted explicit protection of Schools from military use”
Participants called for the need to bring Nigeria domestic law in line with her international obligation by explicitly protecting Schools from military use. Tola Adenekan, reporting from Abuja
