Fulani Herdsmen, Bandits Pose Insecurity to Special Schools in Bauchi

Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi

Lack of wall or fence is the major challenge that has for decades been bedeviling the Government Science Secondary School, Toro in Bauchi state, being run by the State Special Schools Management Board.

This insecurity threat, according to the school principal, Magaji Idris Bello, has made the institution porous to the extent of being trespassed by Fulani herdsmen, and even bandits who usually cart away students’ belongings.

The principal on Saturday told the Democratic Enlightenment Initiative (DEI) team on ‘Seeing is Believing’ tour to the special schools across the state that security personnel manning the institution have often being bastardised by the undesirable elements.

Bello therefore implored the state government to rescue the school from the insecurity threats being posed by men of the underworld by walling the school with concrete structures to curb the excesses of hoodlums to the institution.

“As the state government kindly undertook the renovation or rehabilitation on some of the school infrastructures, so is the need as a matter of urgency, for it to undertake the walling of the school to curb the dissipations of hoodlums”, Bello said.

He expressed regret that the Government Science Secondary School, Toro is the only institution of its kind in the state that lacks walling since 1970 when it was established, stressing that the inscription ‘Special’ shouldn’t be administered to the school without a fence.

Similar insecurity threat is also being posed another special school in the state, the Government College, Azare in Katagum Local Government Area that has even the wall but was too low that animals such as cows and camels crosses over into the institution to cause destruction to its structures, students and teachers.

The college principal, Isa Bello, who appealed to the state government to raise the walling to a higher level in order to prevent animals and hoodlums from crossing over it, recalled an incident four years ago when a kidnapper into the institution but was prevented from his dastardly act by a student’s alarm targeted to be a victim.

Alhaji Isa Bello, who was also speaking while receiving the DEI team to his office in Azare, said as a result of the low level of the college’s walling, drugs addicts from some villages surrounding the institution often crosses over it thereby posing insecurity threats to both students and staff members.

Bello reiterated his call to the state government, to as a matter of urgency, salvage the college from the nefarious activities of men of the underworld.

Both the two principals commended the chairman of the schools board, Yakubu Ibrahim Hamza for his revolutionary zeal to the institutions that opened a new era of enhanced students’ performance in final examinations.

They explained that the special schools have during the board chairmanship of Yakubu Ibrahim Hamza witnessed a lot of transformations that to a significant extent raised the standard of education and inject discipline into the system

The DEI Chairman, Aliyu Ibrahim has earlier told the principals that they were in the institutions to see things for themselves how the state government is faring in providing a conducive atmosphere for both teaching and learning in the schools.

Ibrahim noted that the Governor Mohammed Abubakar-led administration in the state has within the past thirty months of its drive provided infrastructural facilities to not only the special schools but also other post primary institutions across the state.

He explained that a number of both primary and secondary schools have either been renovated or rehabilitated and new classrooms built to meet the growing needs of pupils and students intake, as well as provide conducive environment for teaching and learning.

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