News

States Fortify Security At Schools Over Boko Haram Threats

Published

10 years ago

July 4, 2014

Some state governments have started to comply with a presidential directive requiring them to fortify security in and around public and private schools in their areas.
President Goodluck Jonathan had directed states in the North East to secure schools against the background of the abduction of some school girls from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.
Jonathan also announced a N6.2billion Special Intervention Fund by the Federal Government, and advised the states to complement the efforts through counterpart funding.
A recent survey indicated that proprietors of schools are gradually keying into the programme of providing modern security systems to check attacks by criminals.
In compliance with the presidential directive, the Yobe State Government said it had erected fences around all public schools in the state as a measure to check attacks by insurgents.
More than 100 students were killed by insurgents last year at Government Secondary School, Damaturu, and Government Secondary School, Mamudo, as well as Federal Government College, Buni-Yadi, and College of Agriculture, Gujba.
The State Commissioner for Education, Muhammad Lamin, said the fences were meant to check trespassing in the schools.
“The schools were porous and vulnerable before the erection of the fences but now there is a sense of security as no one can drive through except through the gates,” he said.
Many teachers and students expressed satisfaction with the new arrangement.
A teacher, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “It (fence) gives us some sense of security unlike when you could drive in from all directions.”
Some parents, who also refused to be mentioned, commended the state government for fencing the schools and rebuilding burnt structures.
Also, security personnel were seen around some schools in Damaturu.
On its part, the Gombe State Government said it had been recruiting retired soldiers to guard public secondary schools.
At the Government Girls’ College, Doma; Government Secondary School, Gombe I; Government Secondary School, Gombe II; and Arabic Teachers College, Gombe; at least three retired soldiers each were employed to guard the schools’ premises.
Some of the former soldiers said on condition of anonymity that they ran two shifts – day and night – at their respective schools.
At some private schools, such as Pen Resource Academy, Gombe; Yahaya Ahmed Model School, Gombe; and St. James School, Gombe, private security men were seen guarding the premises.
Some of the schools had also erected barricades at their entrances as a way of checking movement into their premises.
The Police Public Relations Officer in Gombe, Fwaje Atajiri, said that the police were collaborating with other segments of the society to ensure effective security.
He added that the command had a good synergy with other security agencies in the state in sharing and using intelligence.
“We meet from time to time where we share intelligence and from time to time engage in joint operations,” he said.
Atajiri explained that the operations covered all sectors of the society, including schools and other public places.
Also in Adamawa, one of the three Northeast states under emergency rule in the last one year, school proprietors have begun to beef up security around their premises following violent attacks by insurgents since 2012.
However, an official of the state government said the state had yet to receive the Federal Government’s Special Intervention fund.
Ahmad Sajoh, the Director of Press and Public Affairs to the state governor, Murtala Nyako, said the governor was committed to investing in security for the benefit of the people.
Meanwhile, heads of security agencies in the state said they were collaborating in their jobs.
The Brigade Commander, 23 Amoured Brigade, Yola, Rogers Nicholas; the state Commissioner of Police, John Abakasanga; and the state Comptroller of Immigration, Rauf Adeboyega, all attested to a collaboration among the agencies.
In Abeokuta, the authorities have also taken steps to beef up security around schools.
Some school administrators said that the issue of security had become paramount to them because of incessant attacks on schools.
The Principal, Abeokuta Grammar School, Idi-Aba, Olurotimi Farunbi, said the walls of the school had been raised to make scaling of the fences difficult.
He said that the school had also increased the number of its security personnel to ensure effective surveillance of the premises.
A source at Federal Government College, Odogbolu, said that the school had restricted movement in and out of its premises from 8:00 p.m. to 6 a.m., except on special cases.
The source said that students had also been barred from using phones in the school, while vehicles going into the school premises were searched thoroughly.
“We make sure all vehicles moving in and out of the school premises are thoroughly searched.
We also organise regular fora during which we sensitise both students and parents to the need to be security conscious. We normally create special sessions during our PTA meetings during which we invite security personnel to give us talks on security issues,” he said.
The Principal, Iganmode Grammar School, Ota, Kayode Ajayi, said that the school recently bought a bomb detecting machine, while plans were underway to buy CCTV cameras to beef up security in the school.
On his part, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said that the command had intensified security in and around public and private schools in the state.
“Those that operate boarding facilities enjoy presence of our policemen on their premises during and outside school hours. We also ensure regular patrols of other schools which do not operate boarding facilities while we have also compiled the list of all security managers of the schools and colleges, including tertiary institutions, for regular meetings and interactions,” he said.
The State Intelligence Bureau, SIB, of the command has also been liaising with the Department of State Security (DSS), in Ogun for proper intelligence information gathering and sharing with stakeholders, including principal officers of the schools, Mr. Adejobi said.
He said that the command would continue to do the needful to ensure adequate protection of lives and property in and around school premises.
Similarly, the Bauchi State Government said it had provided security measures in all its schools following threats of attack on some schools across the state.
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Education, Ibrahim Aminu, said in Bauchi that the state government had sensitised teachers and students to security matters, especially on seeing strangers or strange objects.
He said that the threat to attack schools was not a new phenomenon.
“We have taken some measures in collaboration with security agencies, parents and the communities to ensure that all our schools are safe. Sometimes, the threats came repeatedly, they equally came from students who felt they would not pass their promotion examinations and after investigations some students were held responsible for the threats by the security agencies,” he disclosed.
Aminu said that proactive measures were also taken whenever information filtered into the ministry that there was a threat issued to any school.
“What we do is to send it to the security agencies and we investigate and take all the necessary measures we can. We don’t joke with threat and useful information,” said the commissioner.

News

Bonny-Bodo Road: FG Offers Additional N20bn, Targets December Deadline

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The Federal Government has agreed to offer additional N20.5 billion for the completion of the Bonny-Bodo road project in December.
The government, however, said if the construction company, Julius Berger, was not ready to accept the offer, the contract will be terminated.
Minister of Works, David Umahi, said this during a meeting with the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Lars Ritcher and members of Bodo-Bonny Road Peace Committee, on Wednesday in Abuja.
The reports that Julius Berger had requested asking for a N28 billion variation on the 82 per cent completed project.
The company hinged its request on the rise in exchange rate, construction materials, and diesel among others.
Umahi, however, said the government was willing to provide N20 billion out of the N28 billion that Julius Berger requested for.
According to him, the Bonny-Bodo road contract which was initially awarded at the cost of N120 billion in 2015, was later varied at N199 billion with a completion dateline of December 2023, which has since elapsed.
The Tide’s source recalls that in 2017, an agreement between the Federal Government, Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) and Julus Berger on modalities for funding the project cost of N199.923 billion, without any further increase.
“If you do not accept the Federal Government’s offer by Friday and resume work on the site, the previously expired 14-day ultimatum for termination of project will be enforced.
“I want to let you know that we are the client. No contractor will dictate for this ministry, and there is no job that is compulsory that a particular contractor must do.
“We give you an offer. If you do not like the offer, you walk away. You don’t force us or we don’t force you.
“Agreement of contractual relationship is a mutual understanding,’’ the minister said.
Umahi said that had Julius Berger adhered to the project timetable, the project would have been completed on schedule before the impact of foreign exchange.
“Our position is very simple, we reject the conditions of Julius Berger totally and we ask Berger to please go back to the site to complete the project based on our offer.
“Our offer is unconditional and we say, accept or reject, so you cannot subject our offer to your conditions ,’’ he added
Umahi said the company should be humble in its dealings and exhibit solidarity during challenges.
Earlier, Richter had explained that the company suspended work on the site to seek some clarifications from the ministry.
According to him, the company asked for the augmemtation of N28 bilion because as at the time the contract was awarded the exchange rate was N305 to a dollar and diesel was N350 eor litre.
“We will still require some outstanding materials; that means that the initial agreement can’t fly because the variation of project is not sufficient and the exchange rate is also not in our favour to compensate the additional costs.
“That is why we decided to go back to our original proposal of the augmentation. Augmentation is a very normal process for all contracts,” the managing director said.
Chief Abel Attoni, Palace Secretary, Bonny Kingdom, expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the decision to complete the Bodo-Bonny road project.
Attonu urged the parties to be patriotic and make the necessary sacrifice for the actualisation of the project.

News

Court Vacates Arrest Warrant Against Ehie, Five Others

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, yesterday, set aside the warrant of arrest against Rt. Hon. Edison Ehie, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Rivers State, and five others.
Justice Emeka Nwite stated this while delivering his ruling in an application seeking to vacate the warrant of arrest which he issued on January 31, 2024.
The Judge said he was misled by the police in ordering the arrest of Ehie in connection with the burning of the Rivers State House of Assembly on October 30, 2023.
The Police, had told the court that Ehie and five others masterminded the bombing of the Rivers State House of Assembly amid a plot to impeach Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.
The five others are Jinjiri Bala, Happy Benedict, Progress Joseph, Adokiye Oyagiri, and Chibuike Peter, alias Rambo.
Justice Emeka Nwite while setting aside the warrant said it has now become a mere academic exercise.
The judge further granted same to the 2nd to 5th Defendant/Applicant in same suit.
Femi Falana, SAN, and Oluwole Aladedoye, SAN, who appeared for the defendants in separate suits, held that the court lacked the jurisdiction to have granted the order.
While Falana filed a motion seeking an order to set aside the January 31 order by Justice Nwite, Aladedoye applied for a stay of execution of the arrest order.
In a motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/112/2024 dated February 2 and filed on February 7 by Falana, Ehie sought two orders, including “an order setting aside the order made on January 31 for want of jurisdiction.
“An order of this honourable court staying the execution of the order made on the 31st January 2024, pending the hearing and determination of this application.”
Giving six grounds of argument, Falana argued that the complainant had not filed any criminal charge or motion before the court.
The senior lawyer argued that the court lacked the territorial jurisdiction to entertain the ex-parte application as the alleged offences of conspiracy, attempted murder, murder and arson took place in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
“He submitted that the court lacked the vires to grant an application to arrest and declare his clients wanted in respect of the alleged offences.
“The complainant/respondent (IG) did not adduce evidence of terrorism in the affidavit in support of the application.
“The complainant/respondent did not cite any section of the Terrorism Prevention Act, 2013 (as amended) alleged to have been contravened by the applicants,” he argued.
Aladedoye in a motion on notice dated and filed February 9, on behalf of the five defendants, sought two orders, including
“an order staying execution or further execution of the order(s) of this honourable court made on the 31st of January, 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the applicants.
“An order of injunction restraining the complainant from carrying out or further carrying out the orders of this honourable court made on the 31st January 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the appeal filed by the applicant in this case.”
Giving a three-ground argument, Aladedoye said that a notice of appeal had already been filed against Justice Nwite’s orders.
According to the senior lawyer, the notice of appeal contains grounds that challenge the jurisdiction of the honourable court.
The Inspector-General had, in a charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2024, arraigned the defendants on a seven-count criminal charge bordering on terrorism and murder.

News

13 Students Bag First Class, 182 PhD As IAUOE Graduates 5,550, Today

Published

3 days ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The authorities of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUOE), Rumuolumeni, in Rivers State, have stated that 13 students will be graduating with first class while 182 graduands will bag Ph.D during the 42nd convocation ceremony of the university billed to hold today and tomorrow.
The Acting Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Okechuku Onuchuku, disclosed this during pre-convocation press briefing held in his office, yesterday, to unveil the programme for the convocation ceremony.
Onuchuku said that the 13 students were among the 4,653 graduands expected to graduate for the 2022/2023 academic session with first degree, while 897 students will be graduating with postgraduate degrees.
The Acting Vice Chancellor while giving the breakdown stated that 13 students made first class, 890 students bagged second class upper while 2,739 students had second class lower for first degree.
He further stated that 182 graduands bagged PhD, 667 got master’s degree and 48 got postgraduate diploma, adding that the convocation ceremony will hold today and tomorrow for first degree graduands and postgraduate graduands respectively.
He said that a total of 47 programmes out of the 54 programmes being undertaken at the first degree levels had been given full accreditation by the National University Commission (NUC) as well as all the programmes at the postgraduate school.
“We have ensured that our programmes both at the first degree and post graduates are in line with the NUC stipulated guidelines and speculations. We have also ensured that we are in line with both our academic and administrative policies,” he said.
Prof. Okechukwu urged the graduating students of the institution to always remember to use thier positions to help their alma mater as well as project the institution in a good image in the larger society.
“Try to ensure you finish any project you want to do, evaluate it first and avoid unfinished or abandoned projects. We will be graduating first degree graduands on Friday while Saturday will be for postgraduates, “he added.
Prof. Onuchukwu also said his administration had achieved a lot since he assumed office as Acting Vice Chancellor, stressing that his administration had improved on the welfare of the staff and the students.
“There are a lot of projects completed in the school; we have also given scholarship to some students and also encouraged departments to do same. We also impacted positively on our host communities”, he said.

Akujobi Amadi