Zamfara CSO advocates intensive military measures to save education

From Ibrahim Sidi Muh’d

A Zamfara State based Civil Society Organisation (CSO), Safe Schools Technical Team (ZSSTT) has advocated for unreserved military operations in the state with a view to ensure all secondary schools students and primary pupils sitting at homes are back to their respective class rooms.
The advocacy was made during a visit to the 1 brigade of the Nigerian Army in Gusau Zamfara State capital Friday.
Making this point, the ZSSTT Coordinator, Sa’adatu Abdu Gusau, who was represented by Dr. Ahmad Hashim, said the education sector is at the verge of its kneels should security remain absolutely inadequate.
Hashim noted that, the education sector has badly recorded incidences which made Zamfara an illiteracy breeding gound with the threatening rate of abductions of innocent students and teachers especially in some schools across Maradun, and Talata Mafara local government areas.
“There was an abduction of 80 students and 3 teachers of Government Day Secondary School Kaya in Maradun local government area and subsequent threat to abduct more, equally, on the 26th February 2021, 279 girls of Government Girls Junior Secondary School Jangebe in Talata Mafara were abducted.
“Also in Moriki, a district of Zurmi local government area were attacked by bandits on the 1st of May 2019, 315 female students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School were attacked. Such a threatening development had compelled the state government to shut down all schools across the state for safety.
“Until today, 163 primary schools have remained closed, therefore, the ZSSTT saw it as obligatory to delve into the struggle, aimed at ensuring the reopening of schools and the immediate return of the teeming Secondary and Primary Schools students and pupils to their class rooms which could not be possible without witnessing intensified military operations capable of making kidnaping and banditry a history in the state”, he stated.
Responding, the Commander 1 brigade, Brigadier General Sani Ahmed, lamented lack of needed cooperation to the security agencies by most of the host communities, adding that, it is difficult for security operatives to succeed their missions without use of credible information tapped from the locals.
“Zamfara appeared different from other societies in terms of assisting operatives deployed to fight the lingering insecurity, in fact, most of affected communities do not even welcome the presence of security operatives, this has remained a reason that bandits usually operate to hit their targets unchallenged.
“But, something must be done from both the state and federal governments, the military, all sister security agencies, local authorities, traditional rulers and concerned individuals to pay the expected quarters as such would continue encouraging the military operations to secure safer environments for education to prosper in the state.
“I learnt that, most of the affected communities are fear to share useful information with us for suspecting that the bandits will later identify them to come and pick them for exposing their plans for attack and their movements, which means even the informants were being monitored by other informants within the certain community”, the general added.