Nigerian insurers call for enlarged security presence in schools

Nigerian insurance companies Tuesday called for enlarged presence of security personnel in the nation's higher institutions to ensure safety of lives and property.

Sunday Thomas, Director General of the Nigeria Insurance Association (NIA), who made the call in Lagos, the nation's commercial hub, tasked state governments to ensure that schools beefed up security.

A dawn attack on a mosque at the University of Maiduguri in northeast state of Borno by a seven-year-old suicide bomber killed a university professor and four others.

Thomas, while condemning the attack also called on management of schools to be security conscious and make efforts to ensure adequate protection of students, staff and visitors.

He also tasked state governments to ensure that private schools beefed up security to prevent the repeat of kidnapping of secondary school students as it happened recently at the Nigerian-Turkish International School, Isheri, Ogun.

"Lots of my people, the students that just got killed were incoming professionals that could lead the industries in the future," he added.

"Lots of brains, intelligent people have been wasted, our government needs to stem up securities the more to prevent a repeat," he said.

"I know few Nigerians may be thinking right now that an insurance expert is not a security expert and so should not be talking on it, but we should all know that we are joint stakeholders for the development of the educational system in the country," the expert told reporters. Endit