Kebbi Shuts Schools After Birnin Yauri Kidnapping

Kebbi has indefinitely shut down seven schools in the wake of
the armed attack of Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri on
Thursday, the Nigerian Union of Teachers has confirmed.

The school are located on the frontlines of the areas prone to
bandit attacks.

In the latest attack on Thursday, students and three teachers
were abducted from the school.

A policeman was killed in the attack and a student sustained
gunshot wounds.

Chairman of NUT in Kebbi, Isah Arzika told the News Agency of
Nigeria that the government had directed all school principals to
close any school which they believed were not safe, adding that
police and vigilantes had also been deployed to the schools for
monitoring and protection.

“On these proactive measures, as you all know, we are part of
the system. Because Principals are teachers, all the Directors at
the Board are also teachers. It is the decision that we all took
that is affecting us.

“Government has given us an order and option to take any
necessary action as far as our schools are concerned. That we can
close those schools which we think are not safe and prone to
attacks in the areas close to the forest.”

The NUT chairman assured that they had already closed those
frontline schools, describing such a move as a proactive measure to
guard against a recurrence of the incident similar to that of FGC
Yauri.

“I am not talking about only boarding schools, any school that
is on the frontline and it is not safe, we would just ask the
students to pack and go home, pending the time the situation
normalises.”

“Before now, the state government had recruited large number of
vigilante members to look over our schools and we are very much
satisfied with what the government has done.

“Some of these schools that I am talking about have policemen
attached to them, honestly, we are satisfied with government
actions”, he said.

On the FGC Yauri abductions, the NUT chairman appealed to
parents to remain calm and continue praying to God Almighty for the
restoration of peace in the area and the country at large, while
supporting the security agencies with vital information that would
enable the rescue of the abducted persons unhurt.

He said: “Since the security agencies have swung into action on
the bandits, we have not made fresh contact with the parents and
relatives of the students and teachers still in their
captivity.

“When we made our first contact two days ago, precisely on
Thursday, they did not demand any ransom, instead, they told the
parents and relatives that they only wanted to establish contact
with them and inform them that their children are with them.

“As I am talking to you, two of our teachers have regained their
freedom. Already, seven schools on the frontline in that area have
been closed and more will be closed, if we realise the situation is
not safe for the teachers and students.

Responding to a question on how the bandits made their contact
with the parents, Arzika explained that they collected the contacts
of parents and teachers from the abductees and thereafter made
calls to tell them that their children and people were with
them.

He said: “there was communication from them, but none of them
asked for a kobo, they only said they wanted to establish contact
that the abductees are in their custody.

“It was yesterday (Friday) that the security agencies swung on
them and since then there was no contact again”. (NAN)

Kebbi has indefinitely shut down seven schools in the wake of
the armed attack of Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri on
Thursday, the Nigerian Union of Teachers has confirmed.

The school are located on the frontlines of the areas prone to
bandit attacks.

In the latest attack on Thursday, students and three teachers
were abducted from the school.

A policeman was killed in the attack and a student sustained
gunshot wounds.

Chairman of NUT in Kebbi, Isah Arzika told the News Agency of
Nigeria that the government had directed all school principals to
close any school which they believed were not safe, adding that
police and vigilantes had also been deployed to the schools for
monitoring and protection.

“On these proactive measures, as you all know, we are part of
the system. Because Principals are teachers, all the Directors at
the Board are also teachers. It is the decision that we all took
that is affecting us.

“Government has given us an order and option to take any
necessary action as far as our schools are concerned. That we can
close those schools which we think are not safe and prone to
attacks in the areas close to the forest.”

The NUT chairman assured that they had already closed those
frontline schools, describing such a move as a proactive measure to
guard against a recurrence of the incident similar to that of FGC
Yauri.

“I am not talking about only boarding schools, any school that
is on the frontline and it is not safe, we would just ask the
students to pack and go home, pending the time the situation
normalises.”

“Before now, the state government had recruited large number of
vigilante members to look over our schools and we are very much
satisfied with what the government has done.

“Some of these schools that I am talking about have policemen
attached to them, honestly, we are satisfied with government
actions”, he said.

On the FGC Yauri abductions, the NUT chairman appealed to
parents to remain calm and continue praying to God Almighty for the
restoration of peace in the area and the country at large, while
supporting the security agencies with vital information that would
enable the rescue of the abducted persons unhurt.

He said: “Since the security agencies have swung into action on
the bandits, we have not made fresh contact with the parents and
relatives of the students and teachers still in their
captivity.

“When we made our first contact two days ago, precisely on
Thursday, they did not demand any ransom, instead, they told the
parents and relatives that they only wanted to establish contact
with them and inform them that their children are with them.

“As I am talking to you, two of our teachers have regained their
freedom. Already, seven schools on the frontline in that area have
been closed and more will be closed, if we realise the situation is
not safe for the teachers and students.

Responding to a question on how the bandits made their contact
with the parents, Arzika explained that they collected the contacts
of parents and teachers from the abductees and thereafter made
calls to tell them that their children and people were with
them.

He said: “there was communication from them, but none of them
asked for a kobo, they only said they wanted to establish contact
that the abductees are in their custody.

“It was yesterday (Friday) that the security agencies swung on
them and since then there was no contact again”. (NAN)