Asher-Castillo
Asher Castillo
Jigawa State Polytechnic
Firm Statistics
Jigawa State Polytechnic serves approximately 4,250 students across a large, dispersed campus, with most students commuting daily from surrounding communities.
Campus security consists of approximately 30 to 36 unarmed guards operating across two 12-hour shifts.
Key challenges include no CCTV surveillance, radios, centralized communication system, patrol vehicles, or formal standard operating procedures.
Multiple informal entry points and limited perimeter control further weaken security.
Continued investment in surveillance, communication, mobility, and perimeter protection is essential for reliable campus-wide security.
Jigawa State Polytechnic
About the Firm
Jigawa State Polytechnic maintains campus security through approximately 30 to 36 unarmed guards working two 12-hour shifts. The team monitors campus gates, conducts limited patrols, and responds to incidents across a large, dispersed campus serving approximately 4,250 students.
Strong leadership experience and visible gate security support daily operations. However, the institution currently lacks CCTV surveillance, radios, patrol vehicles, centralized communications, and formal standard operating procedures.
Multiple informal entry points further complicate perimeter control. Continued investment in surveillance, communications, mobility tools, standardized procedures, and stronger perimeter security is essential to provide more consistent protection across the campus.
Jigawa State Polytechnic
Community Impact
Jigawa State Polytechnic’s security efforts support a student population drawn largely from rural communities across northern Nigeria. Because most students live off campus and commute by walking or motorcycle, security concerns extend beyond campus boundaries into surrounding roads and communities.
Visible guards, institutional discipline, and strong cultural expectations contribute to order and help discourage conflict despite limited formal security resources.
Relationships among students, staff, local residents, religious leaders, and community authorities further support stability and informal information sharing. Strengthening these partnerships alongside formal security improvements can create a safer environment for students and reinforce community confidence in the institution.
Jigawa State Polytechnic
Community Involvement
Jigawa State Polytechnic faces significant security vulnerabilities due to limited personnel, technology, and transportation. Approximately 30 to 36 guards protect a dispersed campus without CCTV, radios, patrol vehicles, or centralized communications.
Most students live off campus and regularly travel through public roads, surrounding neighborhoods, and informal transportation areas beyond institutional control. Multiple informal campus entry points also complicate perimeter security.
External support from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and relationships with religious and traditional leaders provide additional protection. Stronger coordination, surveillance, communications, mobility, and perimeter control are essential to creating a more integrated security system.
My Security Proposal
Throughout the program, we worked closely with Jigawa State Polytechnic security officials to gain a clear understanding of the institution’s security needs and the systems currently used to protect students, faculty, staff, and the broader campus community. These meetings provided valuable insight into potential gaps within existing security procedures and the risks they may pose to campus safety.
Using information gathered through these consultations, we identified key security concerns that could affect the university’s ability to prevent, detect, and respond to potential threats. We evaluated existing security measures, considered the potential impact of identified vulnerabilities, and examined opportunities to strengthen campus safety and preparedness.
To address these concerns, we developed a comprehensive security proposal that included a SWOT analysis of the university’s current security situation and recommendations for improved security measures. Drawing on international security standards and best practices, we proposed practical strategies designed to address identified vulnerabilities, strengthen existing security procedures, and enhance the university’s ability to protect its campus community.
My Security Proposal Presentation
Throughout the National Security & Diplomacy Internship, I worked directly with some of the world’s leading counterintelligence and counterterrorism experts to learn about national security and intelligence.
At the conclusion of the internship, my team presented our final proposal to a panel of judges from the Leadership Initiatives Grant Committee. This formal pitch allowed us to apply our skills in operational security, showcase our strategic plan, and advocate for meaningful change at Jigawa State Polytechnic.
Our team was awarded a grant that will fund the implementation of our security proposal. Over the next year, this grant will help transform the future of their university and improve the quality of life for their communities.
Expert & Mentor Collaboration
Our team began developing our solution by meeting the security company at Jigawa State Polytechnic through a Zoom meeting with the security guards.
Throughout the week, we had several calls with the security company. We discovered the threats faced by Jigawa State Polytechnic, asked questions about the security situation, and learned about the university in the context of a wider security crisis in Jigawa State, Nigeria.
Once we compiled all the information, our team outlined security protocols pertaining to the security company through a SWOT analysis that identifies strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Throughout our protocol-development process, we worked with Leadership Initiatives coordinators based in Nigeria, mentors in the security field, and national security experts in order to polish our proposal and final presentation.
Throughout the course of the week, we met with various experts in national security and intelligence, including Gina Bennett, Mathew Brodman, Jaime Puerta, Bill Stefan, and Philip Brenner.
Our mentors offered us insights on our projects every step of the way. We gained valuable knowledge across various areas of intelligence and counterintelligence, which in turn helped us prepare the best security protocols possible.
Besides consultation, we had the opportunity to learn about each mentor’s contribution to the safety of the nation and the field of national security itself. We asked them about the basics of the field, its future, and everything in between.
Throughout the internship, we met with distinguished guest speakers, including Gina Bennett, a respected Senior Analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), known for her contributions to the search for Osama Bin Laden.
Ms. Bennett, as well as Marc Zavarro, a staff member at Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence Partners, which provides courses for the NSA, gave introductory lectures on intelligence. We also got to ask countless questions and learn about their paths into the world of national security.
We learned about foreign policy objectives from key intelligence and foreign operative officials and researchers, including Philip Brenner, an expert on US/Cuba and US/South American relations.
We also delved into the role of intelligence in supporting national policy objectives, including the anti-fentanyl campaign. Leaders and advocates, including Jaime Puerta, the President of Victims of Illicit Drugs, gave emotional insights into the real-world effects of intelligence and counterintelligence operations.
We visited the Department of Homeland Security’s Reston Field Office. On this visit, we learned about ongoing tactical operations from Homeland Security and the way they are used to identify human trafficking, drug smuggling, and various other crimes.
We also took a tour of the Homeland Security Investigations Technical Operations Center, which specializes in equipping government officials with cutting-edge electronic surveillance tools as well as enhancing national security operations. We toured an armored vehicle with special surveillance equipment, tested out thermal imaging goggles used in the field, and more!
Last but not least, we toured the Embassy of Nigeria. During this visit, we received cultural, diplomatic, and military briefings from Embassy officials to understand the relationship between the United States and Nigeria.