Homeland Security Director Leads Campus Safety Assessment at UNICROSS

 

In line with the Cross River State Government’s commitment to strengthening security across public institutions, the Director of the Homeland Security and Safety Agency – South, Chief Michael Nsan, has led a high-level delegation on a courtesy and assessment visit to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), Prof. Francisca Bassey, to evaluate the institution’s security and safety needs.

Chief Nsan explained that the visit was part of a state-wide mandate to ensure that government-owned facilities, including tertiary institutions, are adequately protected through modern, coordinated security frameworks.

“Our governor is very serious about security and takes the state’s security architecture very seriously. We have been mandated to assess government facilities, understand their challenges, and work out ways to strengthen their security systems,” Chief Nsan said.

According to him, the Agency is particularly interested in understanding the university’s existing security structure, use of technology, safety education for staff and students, and the possibility of integrating UNICROSS into a centralised modern control room system for real-time monitoring and emergency response.

“We want to see how we can plug the university into a modern control room so that, in case of any emergency, we can work in sync to ensure that everyone is safe,” he added.

Responding, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Francisca Bassey, described the visit as very timely, noting that the university is facing serious challenges arising from vandalism, theft, flooding, and land encroachment across its campuses in Calabar, Okuku, and Ugoja.

“Your visit is very timely. We are facing heartbreaking levels of theft and vandalisation, largely because our campuses are unfenced and have become thoroughfares for surrounding communities,” Prof. Bassey stated.

She disclosed that repeated vandalism has led to the destruction and theft of critical infrastructure, including windows, electrical installations, and heavy-duty cables, sometimes shortly after repairs or during accreditation exercises.

“As we fix facilities, they are vandalised again. During recent accreditation exercises, cables were cut and stolen even while work was ongoing. This is not sustainable and poses serious risks to our students and staff,” she lamented.

The Vice Chancellor further highlighted challenges such as poor remuneration for outsourced security personnel, an ageing security workforce, lack of patrol vehicles, and the absence of CCTV systems and a functional control room, stressing that running three campuses under such conditions remains extremely demanding.

Also speaking, the Media Aide to the Homeland Security and Safety Agency, Mr. Michael Archibong, reaffirmed the Agency’s readiness to collaborate closely with the university.

“We are prepared to partner with UNICROSS to ensure the safety and security of the university community,” Archibong assured.

On his part, the Chief Security Officer of UNICROSS, Mr. Iwara Ibiang, stressed the need for deterrence through enforcement and accountability.

“Beyond routine security checks, there must be arrests and prosecution of those responsible for crimes within the university. A comprehensive security database is also necessary to strengthen enforcement,” he said.