Staff, students apprehensive as Kaduna’s Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic reopens

As the management of Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic in Zaria, Kaduna State is set to reopen the institution today, students and staff have expressed apprehension over the level of security measures put in place.

This is coming 11 days after gunmen invaded the school’s senior staff quarters, located along the Kaduna- Zaria highway and abducted students and staff in what lecturers described as the third incident in the last few months.

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The school management has confirmed that six students and two lecturers were abducted in the attack and on Friday directed students and the polytechnic community to resume academic activities following improved security measures.

A circular from the office of the school registrar and signed by Mahmud Aliyu Kwarbai of the Information and Protocol unit stated that: “Sequel to the improved security situation and measures taken by the state government and the school management to ensure the safety of lives and property in the polytechnic, I am directed to inform all students and the polytechnic community that school will re-open on Monday, June 21, 2021.”

However, some of the students told Daily Trust that because the school hostels remain shut, they have no choice but to return to the senior staff quarters where gunmen invaded and abducted their colleagues a few days ago.

“The school management says there is adequate security but we are not sure because the school is very porous, there is no fence,” said one of the students.

Another student told our correspondent that he had decided to live off-campus for his safety even though soldiers have been stationed around the senior staff quarters of the institution.

Our correspondent also gathered that some of the staff of the polytechnic have since vacated the senior staff quarters, saying their security could not be guaranteed due to the porous nature of the school.

A staff who spoke to Daily Trust said even though since the incident, there have been visible security measures with the deployment of military personnel around the staff quarters, the school remains unfenced and accessible to criminals.