The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) has demanded full accountability from the Safe Schools Initiative (SSI) following renewed attacks on schools in Northern Nigeria.
The group said that, despite more than $20 million reportedly committed to the programme since 2014, schools remained unsafe for learning.
This is contained in a statement signed by its chairman, Isaac Abrak and made available to journalists in Kaduna State on Saturday.
The group said the killings and mass abduction at Government Girls’ Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga in Kebbi, and St. Mary’s School in Agwara Local Government Area of Niger, raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the SSI–Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) partnership.
Abrak said: “We cannot continue to witness children being abducted while agencies funded to protect them remain silent.
“What exactly did the Safe Schools Initiative and the NSCDC do to prevent or respond to these attacks?”
NCYP said it had initially welcomed the SSI–NSCDC collaboration announced after the Kuriga abductions in Kaduna State, “even though it differed from the group’s earlier recommendation for direct recruitment of community members into a Forest Guard system.”
The statement added that recent incidents showed an apparent absence of visible security measures in high-risk areas.
It said the SSI must provide a detailed public account of its operations, adding: “With over $20 million in donations and pledges, Nigerians deserve to know how the funds were used”.
The group requested reports on expenditure, interventions in affected states, implementing partners, emergency response systems and impact assessments.
Reaffirming its earlier position, NCYP urged President Bola Tinubu to fully implement a community-driven Forest Guard programme.
It noted that residents in remote and forest-surrounded communities were best positioned to defend their schools.
The statement said: “There is no substitute for the vigilance and courage of parents protecting their own children.
“We equally call on U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress and the American people to support Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen community-based security structures.
“NCYP insist that accountability and community involvement remain essential to safeguarding education, especially for girls in Northern Nigeria.”
