Plateau State University, Bokkos (PLASU), has trained students on basic campus security measures as part of efforts to enhance safety and security within the institution.
The one-day training, organised in collaboration with the Joint Task Force, Sector 5 of Operation Enduring Peace, was aimed at equipping students with practical safety measures to adopt during emergencies and other security situations.
Speaking during the training, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Shedrack Best, stressed the importance of security awareness in institutions of higher learning, saying security has become everyone’s responsibility in the face of emerging security challenges.
Best, who was represented by the Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Professor Rahila Dantong, said the university management was committed to ensuring that students live and study in a safe and secure environment.
He disclosed that the university has a police outpost and a military checkpoint outside the campus, alongside troops stationed within the institution and a joint patrol team comprising the police and the university’s armed security personnel.
According to him, the university has also strengthened physical security through the construction of a perimeter fence, erection of watchtowers, installation of solar-powered security lights and deployment of security cameras at strategic locations across the campus.
Presenting a paper titled, “Basic Security Tips on Campuses,” the Commander of Sector 5, Operation Enduring Peace, Colonel L. A. Adejo, identified the quest for material possessions as one of the major drivers of crime in society.
Adejo urged students to remain vigilant, pay attention to their surroundings and avoid unnecessary large gatherings that could expose them to security risks.
He listed kidnapping, sexual harassment and robbery among common security threats on campuses, noting that some people become victims because they fail to comply with security instructions.
The commander advised students to report suspicious persons, movements and objects to relevant security agencies, while warning them against disclosing sensitive personal information to strangers.
He also provided emergency contact numbers for students to use when confronted with danger or other security emergencies.
Responding to questions on expelled or rusticated students who may pose security threats around the campus, the Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Professor Dantong, said parents and relevant departments are duly notified whenever such disciplinary measures are taken.
She explained that students under such sanctions who are found within the university premises are handed over to the security department for appropriate action.
Dantong further disclosed that the Directorate of Student Affairs had introduced new digital identification cards embedded with QR codes to help verify genuine students and curb impersonation by former students and non-students.
She said the measure became necessary following the production of PLASU identification cards outside the university, making enhanced verification essential.
The Students Union Government President, who spoke on behalf of the students, appreciated the military for its prompt response to emergencies and for partnering with the university to improve campus security.
