March 29, (THEWILL) – At least two persons have been convicted, one dead in the cause of stealing and vandalising facilities belonging to Government Primary School, Aka Offot 1, in Obio Imo street in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State.
The Village Head of Aka Offot, Etteidung Francis Morgan Udo, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen in Uyo on Tuesday on the dilapidated state of the school, which is located in his domain.
Udo described the vandalism and rampant stealing of property belonging to the school as alarming and had been persistent for decades.
He said that two suspects caught in the act were now cooling their feets in prison custody, while one was discovered dead in the school ceiling suffocating, while trying to escape.
The traditional ruler said though some of the suspects escaped by scaling through the school fence, the long arms of the law would one day catch up with all of them.
“The stealing and wanton destruction of school property at Government Primary School, Aka Offot in Obio Imo is very pathetic and has continued for a long time now, despite government intervention to serve the situation. Those responsible will be apprehended and made to face the wrath of the law.
“I appeal to the relevant authorities to come to our assistance. We have tried our best. Two have been jailed as a result of the vandalism, while one has also died as he tried to escape”, Udo said.
Udo called on the State Government, to as a matter of urgency, erect a high rise perimeter fence to reduce, if not eradicate future occurrence.
An official of the school, who would not want her name mentioned, said the vandalism started in the year 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, when pupils were out of school.
According to her, before the lockdown, the school was quite in order, as desks provided for the pupils were intact and the roofs were not removed.
She, however, said before they could resume after the lockdown, almost all the desks, tables and chairs including roofing sheets were removed.
“This room was full of windows and doors, but when we vacated around 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, before we resumed we did not see any window, door and the roofs were vandalised.
“Since then, they continue to cut the roofing sheet every weekend, when we close on Friday, before we return on Monday. During weekends they continue cutting the roofing sheets. The Headmistress has to report the incident to the Ministry of Education, with pictures.
“The Headmistress’ office was not spared, they climbed through the ceiling and packed all desks, that is why you see pupils sitting on the floor.
“When we reported to the ministry, the Commissioner for Education and the Permanent Secretary visited the school and promised to intervene”, she said.
She said construction work has commenced in one of the classroom blocks to alleviate the plight of the innocent pupils.
She decried the extent of vandalism as pupils were forced to sit on the floor with open roofs to write their examinations even during the rainy season.
“Last year during the rainy season, the pupils sat on the wet floor to write their examinations, there was no desk for them as all had been carted away by hoodlums.
“Now, we thank God inter ministerial government intervention has come to renovate one of the blocks. The Village Head of Aka Offot and the community are aware of this vandalism”, she said.
She appealed to the State Government to come to their rescue by building a high perimeter fence around the school to scare criminals and improve the security network in the school.
The Commissioner for Education, Mrs Idongesit Etiebet, when contacted, promised that the ministry would get the attention of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), to intervene and see what could be done to remedy the situation.
