GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION OF SCHOOL BANDITRY: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SAFE SCHOOL POLICY IMPLEMENTATION IN OYO STATE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

This study assessed the geographic expansion of school banditry (2022–2026) and the implementation of the Safe School Policy in public primary and secondary schools across the Oyo Central, Oyo North, and Oyo South senatorial districts of Oyo State, Nigeria. Anchored on Routine Activity Theory and Ecological Systems Theory, it adopted a descriptive survey design and answered two research questions. From a population of 19,361 stakeholders, a stratified random and purposive sample of 576 respondents (students, teachers, administrators, parents, security personnel, and education officials) was drawn from six Local Government Areas (LGAs); 487 usable responses (84.5%) were analysed. Data were collected with the School Banditry Geographic Expansion Scale (SBGES) and the Safe School Policy Implementation Assessment Tool (SSPIAT) (Cronbach's Alpha = 0.89 and 0.84 respectively) and analysed using means, standard deviations, and a 3.00 adequacy benchmark. School banditry had expanded across all three districts, with Oyo North highest (mean = 4.02), followed by Oyo Central (3.52) and Oyo South (3.29). Safe School Policy implementation was inadequate in all districts (grand mean = 2.62), lowest in Oyo North (2.46), with psychosocial support (2.39) and perimeter security (2.46) weakest. The study concludes that banditry has expanded across Oyo State and that implementation is inadequate, most critically in Oyo North, where the threat is greatest. It recommends a district-differentiated framework, mandatory security audits, a dedicated security fund, and an integrated community-school safety partnership model.