Eleven students from Muslim High School, Sagamu, were arrested last week by the officers of the National School Crime Prevention Corps (NSCPC), for an attempt to set their school ablaze.
The incident, which occurred last Wednesday, left many students and staffs injured as residents around the school scampered for safety.
When they could not achieve their aim of burning down the school due to resistance by the school gateman and some students who forcefully locked the school gate, they started throwing stones to destroy some of the school’s property.
It was learnt that the students are from the Junior Secondary School – Salam Qudus, Toheeb Owonikoko, Samuel Odu, Sodiq Omitoogun, Jamiu Raheem, Akeem Taiwo, Afeez Osuniran, Sodiq Ojuko, Nureni Sodiq, Akanni Ibrahim and Sansa Sile.
According to a source, the students came to school on the fateful day carrying gallons of petrol with the intention to set the school on fire.
“The students arrived the school around past ten and they were with about four to five kegs of petrol. We asked them to leave the school but they tried to molest us and threatening to deal ruthlessly with us.
“We tried all we could do to persuade them to leave but we later discovered that they were more than what we thought. We quickly contacted the NSCPC officials and within few minutes, they arrived and apprehended them,” the source said.
“They were taken to the Principal office where their parents were invited and they pleaded on their behalf. They were asked to go and repair all the damaged properties which they did”, the source added.
Last Thursday, the Corps at the Government Technical College GOTECO, Abeokuta had arrested one Harrison Abidemi for being in possession of charms and other occult items within the school premises.
Information gathered revealed that the boy is a member of a cult group, identified as ‘Aje Club’.
A member of the NSCPC revealed that the boy alongside his colleagues were fomenting trouble within the school premises and all efforts to persuade them to cease fire went into their deaf ears.
The commandant general of the NSCPC, Ige Folayinka, confirmed the incident, urging parents to monitor their children as the present situation call for proper monitoring. He disclosed that parents and guardians have to work extra more to take adequate care of their children.
