.HURIWA advocates better safety measures in schools

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has commenced investigation into the death of Meshack Agaba, a 16-year-old student of Government Science Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja.

Agaba died of electrocution at the school premises on Wednesday, February 28.
Confirming the development, spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, Josephine Adeh, said the command had begun investigating the incident.

“The case is under investigation. I can’t say more about a case that is still under investigation until we conclude the investigation,” she explained.

The Guardian learnt that the deceased had been on his way to fetch water from a tap when he accidentally stepped on an electric cable in the premises.

It was also learnt that the mother of the deceased student took to social media to mourn her son who would have turned a year older on March 2.

According to a family source, an electric pole and a cable had been lying in the area before the incident.

The source accused the school’s management of trying to change the narrative after the police became involved, claiming that the boy had wanted to jump the fence when the cable fell on him.

“The management didn’t do anything about it. Agaba was trying to fetch water last Wednesday morning; they normally wake up at about 5:00 a.m. to fetch water.
“They didn’t say what led to the boy’s death. They pretended as if it was just a normal thing. Nothing was said about the incident. Since the incident happened, the social media platform of the Parent-Teacher Association has been locked. Parents are not allowed to speak about the incident on that platform. The school is one of the top secondary schools in the FCT.
“The police even came to pick up the principal. The management lied, saying that the boy was trying to jump through the fence when the cable fell on him. How could someone who was only covered with a towel attempt to jump the fence at that time of the day?” the source said.

The Vice Principal (Administration) of the school, Mrs Dogo Suzie, however, said the management did not claim that the deceased tried to jump the fence.

Meanwhile, a civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), called for improved infrastructure in schools.

Its national coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, yesterday, claimed the majority of schools in the FCT lack social amenities and infrastructure necessary for learning.

The group asked the FCT administration to declare a state of infrastructural emergency in public schools and immediately rehabilitate them.

HURIWA alleged: “Even schools located in the metropolis, such as the government secondary school next to the offices of the Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Road Safety Commission in Zone 3, are in a very terrible state. Most of these buildings have cracks in their walls, showing that if prompt maintenance works aren’t carried out, we might just be sitting on a keg of gunpowder.”