Fear of Bandits will not force us to close schools- FCTA assures parents

The Education Secretariat of the FCT Administration has said that they would not be cajoled into shutting down their schools because of mere reports of the presence of Bandits in the territory.

There were reports that bandits loaded in trucks were sighted in some areas of the Federal Capital Territory on Wednesday.

However, the Acting Secretary Education Secretariat, Abdulrazaq Leramoh at a press conference assured parents and guardians that no security breach had been recorded to warrant the closure of schools as reported.

He said that most schools in FCT schools, including the tertiary institutions are presently on a mid-term break hence did not imply they were shut down because of security threats.

"Some institutions like Baze University are currently on break and authorities of these schools are taking measures to ensure that their schools are adequately secured before they resume," he said.

The acting secretary assured that students were safe while FCT Schools remained safe with effective and efficient learning and teaching taking place unhindered.

He appealed to parents, guardians and the stakeholders not to relent in complementing the government efforts by sustaining the various safety measures the FCT Administration had already put in place while reminding them that security is everybody's business.

He disclosed that adequate security would be deployed to the flashpoints in the territory due to security challenges across the county.

"As we speak, the police, Department of State Services, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigeria Air force, and also the Nigeria Army are all around FCT schools that are in sessions to ensure adequate security is given," he added.

He said that the DSS in relation to the security in the tertiary institutions had created a forum where the Vice-Chancellors and Rectors meet monthly to ensure that adequate strategies were put in place on the campuse