Banditry: Northern governor orders closure of all boarding schools, considers home learning
- Bothered by the students' abductions in Zamfara and Niger, Yobe state government has taken a proactive step
- The state government on Monday, March 1, announced the closure of all the boarding schools in the state
- Yobe's commissioner for basic and secondary education, Muhammed Idris, said the state is considering re-introducing home learning
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Following the rising cases of the mass abduction of students by armed bandits, the Yobe state government has taken a proactive measure by closing all the boarding schools in the state.
The state's commissioner for basic and secondary education, Dr Muhammed Idris, made the announcement on Monday, March 1, in Damaturu, Vanguard reported.
All the day schools in the state are, however, not affected as they were asked to continue with the normal academic activities.
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The commissioner said a further statement would be made concerning the reopening of the schools as soon as possible.
He said the ministry was strategizing on how to take learning home to the students, as it was done at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kagara abductions
On Wednesday, February 17, armed bandits turned their attention to Kagara town in Niger state where they kidnapped about 42 persons, including 27 schoolboys.
However, after spending days in the den of the bandits, the students have been released.
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The Jangebe abductions
Also, in the early hours of Friday, February 26, armed bandits invaded the Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, Zamfara state, and kidnapped some students.
Some reports have put the number of the abducted schoolgirls, who are yet to be released at the time of this report, at over 300.
Meanwhile, the Zamfara state governor, Bello Matawalle, has said Nigerians will be surprised if they were told about those responsible for the abduction.
Matawalle made the statement on Sunday, February 28, when 17 Emirs in the state paid him a sympathy visit over the abduction of the students.
The governor said the sponsors of the recent school abduction in the state were trying to sabotage the progress he has recorded from peace initiatives in the state.
In other reports, President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to put an end to kidnapping in Nigeria.
President Buhari made the vow on Sunday, February 28 through aviation minister Hadi Sirika who represented him during a visit of the Federal Government's delegation to Zamfara state.
Besides Sirika, other members of FG's delegation included Police affairs minister Maigari Dingyadi, Humanitarian affairs and disaster management minister Sa’adiya Umar-Faruk and women affairs minister Pauline Tallen.
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Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
