Lamentation in Akwa-Ibom As Community Seeks Urgent Intervention
There has been a lamentations as residents of Ekit Itam II in the Itu Local Government Area raised the alarm over the increasing vandalism at St. Domino Primary School, located along the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene highway.
The community attributed the destruction to hoodlums suspected to be scavengers and urged the Akwa-Ibom State government to intervene.
The Village Head, Eteidung Aloysius Ebong, voiced his concerns on Monday, highlighting the continuous theft of iron protectors from the school’s perimeter fence and other valuable items.
Speaking with journalists in Uyo, Ebong explained that the issue escalated when Julius Berger, the construction company handling the Uyo-Ikot Ekpene highway project, fenced only the school’s frontage, leaving other areas unprotected and susceptible to criminal activity.
“Since then, activities of hoodlums in the school have been on the increase. All the iron fittings have been removed and carted away.
“It has become difficult to differentiate people with good intentions from criminals passing through the school compound.
“We are using this opportunity to call on the state governor, Umo Eno, to look into the security situation of the school,” PUNCH quoted Ebong as saying.
According to him, the community has repeatedly reached out to the state government through official letters, but no concrete action has been taken to safeguard the school property.
The Village Council Chairman, Emmanuel Ebong, attributed the issue to scavengers targeting scrap metal.
“The situation has become so severe that we, the Village Council members and youth, have to mount surveillance at night.
“Even then, if you leave or sleep a little, something will go missing because they are also not sleeping,” he said.
He further lamented the government’s unfulfilled promise to fence all public schools along the main road.
Adding to the concerns, the community youth leader, Dominic Edem, recounted an incident where a suspect was caught stealing roofing sheets from the school.
However, despite being apprehended and handed over to the police, the prosecution process became too costly for the community to sustain.
“When we finally overpowered him, he was taken to the police station. We spent so much money trying to prosecute the matter, even though the suspect was caught in the act.
“At the end of the day, we had to abandon the case because we could not continue anymore,” Edem lamented.
Head Teacher, Courage Sunny Udom, also expressed fears over the school’s lack of security, revealing that he had been threatened multiple times by the hoodlums.
He described the school as highly vulnerable due to the absence of a complete perimeter fence.
“The school compound has become a thoroughfare for people crossing the field, even at night, as a shortcut to their houses.
“I am even afraid to fix ceiling fans in my office because they may break in and steal them. The prime suspects in this whole issue are the ‘iron condemn people’ (scavengers), and they are very hostile,” Udom stated.
The Ekit Itam II community continues to call on the state government to take urgent action to secure the school premises and prevent further destruction.
SOURCE: Sahara Reporters
