…PUPILS SCAMPER FOR SAFETY
Tuesday 27th March, 2024 bathed a sadly terrifying memory that will linger for a lifetime in the minds of the pupils of St. Margaret’s Education Group, staff and residents of Ebute in Ikorodu area of Lagos State as officials of Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) allegedly brazenly invaded the school premises while examination was ongoing without prior notice.
In what started like a mild drama, a group of men walked into the school premises at about 2pm on the faithful day according to the account of the School Principal, refused to identify themselves and started taking pictures and videoing buildings in the premises. The security details and members of staff around resisted them until they identify who they were which they refused to rather called for reinforcement team made up of heavily armed policemen, soldiers and thugs.
According to information made available to this medium, upon arrival, the reinforced team descended on everybody on sight, beating, heating and throwing them out of the premises while some of them where busy destroying properties of the school.
Narrating the ordeal, the Principal, Mr. Kazeem Oluseye said, “It was at about 2pm, Wednesday 27th march, 2024, the school was in session and examination for 2nd term was in progress; it was in the midst of this that unknown officials came in through the main gate and they were asked to identify themselves. They refused to comply, in the midst of insecurity in our nation while efforts to pacify them proved abortive, it was later when they mobilized for more of the taskforce members that we realized they were from the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) who came to the school and were at the Security Post. The attention of the school officers to attend to them was called by the security. The officer was on ground and attended to the officials.
“Surprisingly, while the school officer went briefly to get some items from the office with the intention to return soonest, the officials from LASBCA went ahead without thorough clearance to took photographs and videos of the school buildings.
“This called for worries, concerns and questioning by the school authority, who requested detailed explanations from the officials of LASBCA. This scenario led to altercation between the parties and reinforcement was called by the Agency.
“On the fierce arrival of the reinforcement team which comprises of armed men and tough boys (tugs), the pupils, students, members of staff and few parents around the school were thrown into a state of uncontrollable pandemonium and panic with everybody scampering for safety.
“The taskforce ended up destroying the schools buildings and facilities, beating and inflicting severe injuries on some members of staff before whisking some of them away. The pupils and students writing examinations were forcefully sent out to the street. The school environment was embarrassed by the act of thuggry and hooliganism.
“The degree of damage done to the school is unquantifiable considering the fact that internal examination was in progress during the time of the incident with WAEC, NECO, BECE in in-view. The members of staff arrested as still in detention even when the reason for the brigandage is yet unknown”, he concluded while calling the His Excellency, the governor of the Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu and other relevant individuals and agencies to come to their aide.
Subsequently, the Proprietor of the school, Mr. Alonge Olusegun who was still rattled in shock as to why an agency of government would throw caution to the wind while discharging what would have been corporate lawfully civil exercise, noting that all of the building in the school are dully approved by the state government and that the school in question was built as far back as 1982.
Mr. Olusegun opined that should there be any offence by the school, the lawful thing to do would have been to serve them notice to appear before the Agency and subsequently present them with their offense and penalty rather that the brazen display of thuggery that threw the school and immediate environ into such unwarranted pandemonium.
Olusegun forther recounted how his visit to the Director General of LASBCA, Arc. Gbolahan Owodunni Oki left a bitter pill in his mouth as the DG threw him out without granting him audience, while threatening to demolish the school if care is not taken.
Also, a parent in the school, Mr. Omoniyi Obamodi recounted the ordeal of his five years of old who is left traumatized by the incident he witnessed in his school, according to Obamodi, he said his son told him he doesn’t want to go to school again after the urgly experience of the fierce looking, gun-wielding security details to stormed their school on the faithful day, the little boy told his father that he has only seen such guns in the cartoons. Such was the amount of psychological damage the unwarranted incident has left in the minds of the pupils of St. Margaret Education Group.
This medium on a fact-finding mission to the premises of the Lagos State Building Control Agency, Ikeja was almost futile as the Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Olaoye Olusegun was not in the know of the incident, though he promised to make enquiries and get back to us, which is yet to come as at the time of filing this report.