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By Correspondent in Minna
Niger State House of Assembly has called on Governor Abubarkar Sani Bello to as a matter of urgency construct perimeter fence in all schools, especially boarding schools, as part of measures to check kidnap of students by armed bandits.
The resolution followed a motion of urgent importance by Hon. Abdulahi Shana Gbara.
The Assembly whichnl noted rising cases of kidnapping, stressed the urgent need for the state government to construct perimeter fence around schools, including the State College of Agriculture and Government Secondary School Bokani in Mokwa local Government which recently witnessed security breaches.
The Reporters recalls that the state has witnessed about four cases of kidnapping in the past one month; 42 passengers traveling with the NSTA, students of Government Science College (GSC), Kagara and most recently over 50 persons, including travellers along the same route.
The state Assembly during Tuesday plenary agreed that there was urgent need for the state government to improve on security of schools, to avoid a repeat of recent kidnap of the students of GSC, Kagara whereby the bandits were said to have operated freely because the premises was not fenced.
Aside the Kagara secondary school student’s kidnap, Hon. Gbara said the state owned College of Agriculture, Mokwa experienced security breaches involving a male teacher being accosted by unknown persons on his way back to the staff quarters after the days’ schedules.
Other security breaches, Hon Gbara said was related to a suspected informant to bandits, leading his herd of cattle to encroach on the schools’ land behind the staff quarters while the secondary school located at the outskirts of Mokwa town is also without fence.
The lawkamers, who however took turns in support the motion noted the urgent need for the state government to construct perimeter fences not only around Mokwa College of Agriculture but schools across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state.
The lawmakers argued that recent developments in some parts of the state were pointers that schools were vulnerable to security challenges, hence the need to act fast to avoid more cases of kidnapings.
“The armed bandits kidnapped the school boys in Kagara because the school was not fenced though the issues may be beyond what has been witnessed in the state in a couple of weeks now”, Shuaibu Liman representing Suleja constituency submitted.
Contributing, Hon. Abdul-Malik Bosso, representing Bosso Constituency said, though, constructing fences across schools would not prevent bandits from carrying out their criminally minded intention, “but securing the schools is still very important’.
Acknowledging the fact that most schools across Niger state lacked necessary security considerations, Malik said, “I never knew that there are schools like that in Niger state, until I saw the level of security laxity in the Kagara school. We need to provide fences for all existing boarding schools”.
The matter was therefter referred to the House Committe on Education to interface with the relevant Ministries and Agencies for immediate action, on how to urgently end security breaches across primary, secondary and Tertiary education in Niger state.
