Nigeria: Parents of Released Tegina Islamiyya Students Vow Not to Allow Children Return to School

Some parents of the pupils of the Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, Tegina, in the Rafi local government area of Niger State whose wards regained freedom from the den of bandits last Thursday have vowed never to allow their children return to the school.

The parents even said their children would no longer pursue either Islamic or Western education as a result of insecurity.

Those affected made the declaration in Tegina, at a community meeting organised by the school management and attended by majority of the parents, representatives of the Rafi emirate council and that of the local government council.

A source at the meeting informed THISDAY that virtually all the parents at the meeting lamented what they and their children went through in the couple of months, insisting that they are not prepared to undergo such trauma again.

In fact one parent according to the source immediately after reuniting with his child on Saturday, evacuated all the family members and their movable property from Tegina and relocated to Kaduna.

It was learnt that when the parent was informed of the insecurity situation in Kaduna he said he would settle down in a local government area where there is no insecurity.

According to findings, the school management informed the aggrieved parents that a four-week holiday had been given for those who would like to return to enable the management upgrade the security architecture of the school and for the released children to get proper medical care.

The state government has been urged through the Commissioner for Education to assist in the renovation and upgrading of the school since ” it is not a few paying educational institutions” the source said.

The Head Teacher of the school Alhaji Alhassan Abubakar Garba when contacted confirmed that the meeting took place, saying steps were being taken to renovate the school.

Asked about the threat by some parents to withdraw their children from the school and even from pursuing Western education the Head Teacher said ” have heard such thing but we will talk to them that it is not the wise thing to do”.

A total of 93 abducted pupils of the school mostly girls and aged between three and 15 years regained freedom last Thursday after more than 80 days in captivity.

Governor Abubakar Sani Bello had received the children at the government house Minna last Friday, before they were taken back to Kagara where they were reunited with their parents.

Laleye Dipo in Minna

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