Nigerian Senate Push for 100,000 New Troops and Probe into School Safety Funds

Nigeria’s upper house of parliament has called on President Bola Tinubu to hire 100,000 more soldiers to tackle rebel attacks, armed robberies, and kidnaps at schools. Members also want a deep check on how money for a child safety plan has been used, even as raids on learning spots keep happening.

The move came after gunmen struck a girls’ school in Maga, Kebbi State, killing a deputy head and taking 25 pupils. A guard got hurt too, and forces are now searching for the girls.

During a session led by Senate head Godswill Akpabio, lawmaker Adams Oshiomhole from Edo North raised the alarm. He said the country needs a big boost in troops to fight threats and create jobs for young people. Oshiomhole also asked why school safety cash has not stopped the violence, calling it a business for some. He pushed for lawmakers to look into the spending and for the army to use better tools like trackers to catch the criminals.

All senators backed the ideas. Akpabio agreed on the need for more soldiers and the money check. He said outlaws target easy spots like schools and sent his sorrow to those hit in Kebbi. But he warned against blaming one government, noting even strong nations like the US face daily crimes.

Nigeria signed a global promise in 2015 to shield schools from war harms, but attacks have gone on for ten years. A children’s aid group has begged for full action to make classes safe for all.

The Senate then met behind closed doors to talk about secret safety steps.

Nigeria ranks 35th worldwide in army strength, third in Africa. It has 135,000 active troops and 215,000 in total, with gear like 140 planes, 376 tanks, and over 2,000 armoured cars. Lawmakers say numbers on paper do not match real fights, so more hires and stronger school guards are key in danger areas.