Bauchi Shuts Down Popular Secondary School Over 'Illegal Marriages'

The Bauchi State gov­ernment has ordered the closure of the notable Sa’adu Zungur Model Pri­mary and Secondary School, Bauchi, following reports that some senior students (males and females) were conduct­ing illegal marriages among themselves.
Reporters learnt that the male students used to pay a token sum of N500 as bride price to their fe­male counterparts as pre­condition for their marriages while the classmates of both the “grooms and brides” con­tribute money to buy snacks for guests, who are also stu­dents at the ceremonies.

Sources in the school claimed that although male and female students study in separate classes in the school, the attention of the teachers was drawn to the illegal mar­riages only last week when a Senior Secondary (SS) 2 stu­dent (name withheld) ar­ranged an illegal “wedding ceremony” at a free class­room for herself and his lov­er who was also a senior stu­dent.
The teachers allegedly learnt of it when they heard cheers and noises at the point of the celebration.
This, according to the sources, made the teachers to rush to the scene where the cheers emanated and discov­ered that a “wedding ceremo­ny” was taking place between two students.
Correspondents also gathered that the matter was im­mediately reported to the school’s principal, Malam Ahmed Zailani, who also consulted with the Ministry of Education on the appropri­ate action to be taken against the erring students.
Consequently, the state government ordered the im­mediate closure of both the primary and secondary sec­tions of the school.
Commenting on the mat­ter in a press statement is­sued by his Special Assistant on Communication, Yaku­bu Adamu, the Deputy Gov­ernor and Commissioner for Education, Mr. Nuhu Gidado, who attributed the children’s illegal marriages to moral decadence in the society, said that he directed the immedi­ate closure of the school on Friday, March 10, 2017 after being notified about the issue.
He said that a commit­tee comprising all directors in the Ministry of Educa­tion, the school’s authorities, teachers as well as the Par­ents and Teachers Associ­ation (PTA) was constitut­ed to investigate the matter and come up with a detailed and sincere report before the school would be reopened.

source (Authority Newspapers)