Worried by the continued security challenges in parts of the state, the Niger state government says it will relocate all the boarding schools across the state to Minna, the state capital, even as the government said it is intensifying the war against the Criminals terrorizing the state.
To this end, the government said it will reclaim all school lands illegally acquired by individuals organizations within the state capital to enable it expand such schools to accommodate the schools that will be relocated to the capital.
This was part of the decisions taken after the state weekly executive council meetings held at the government in Minna on Wednesday.
The state commissioner for lands, Barrister Mourice Magaji who disclosed this while briefing newsmen on Thursday pointed out that the relocation of the schools is a temporary measure to avoid the repeat of the Government Science College Kagara experience where over 128 students, including their teachers were abducted by Bandits from their hostels.
He however maintained that the decision should not be misconstrue that the government has surrender the fight the Bandits in the state, adding that the government is intensifying efforts to ensure that the war against the criminals elements in won.
Although he did not give time frame for the relocation of these schools, the government according to him, has put machineries in motion towards achieving this with an executive order by the state Governor, Rt. Hon Umar Mohammed Bago for the revocation of all lands allocated to individuals within government schools in the state.
The commissioner pointed out that the state government will take back all school lands allocated to individuals whether it has certificate of occupant or not, adding that the government needs such lands to be able to expand existing structures to accommodate those schools that will be relocated.
It could be recalled that the immediate past administration in the state shut down all boarding schools in the state in the wake of the escalation of Bandits attacks on schools which led to the abduction of students at the Government Science College, Kagara.
Also abducted within the period were pupils of an Islamic primary school in Tegina, Kagara local government area of the state.
Also taken during the Wednesday council meeting was the decision to clampdown on all quack private tertiary institutions in the state to make sure that only those that have genuine certificate and have undergone proper accreditation are allowed to operate.
The commissioner for Tertiary Education in the state, Mallam Abdullahi Adamu Mammagi disclosed that of the 56 private Tertiary Institutions in the state, only 34 passed accreditation text while 22 are said to be operating without proper accreditation.
According to him, majority of these quack private tertiary institutions are schools of health technologies and Nursing, stressing that is why there is the need for the government to ensure that they meet up with the required standard to operate.