Education and Security: Exploring Areas of Collaboration between Schools and Security Agencies in Nigeria

Widespread insecurity in Nigeria predisposes schools and institutions of learning to constant attacks by terrorists, kidnappers and bandits. This endangers life and learning infrastructure thereby affecting school enrolment, psychological and mental wellbeing of students, guardians and teachers while exposing them to financial extortion. Predicated upon the country’s overstretched security structures and apparatuses, this paper examines the interplay between education and security for the purpose of identifying ways of collaboration between schools and security agencies to mitigate the tides of insecurity. The paper is expository in nature such that content analysis is used. Thus, Structural Functionalist theory is adopted as a framework of analysis. It is identified that political, social and professional factors are likely to undermine synergy that will stem the tides of criminality perpetrated against students and schools. The paper recommended among other things, government and stakeholders within Nigeria’s education and security systems should emphasise and facilitate rapid linkage between the two sectors to exploit their potentials and strengthen the needed interrelationship between them under a defined framework.