The State Universal Basic Education Board has been ordered by Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom to rebuild a primary school in Tse-Tseen, Saghev that was destroyed by herdsmen attacks on the community on Sunday.
Following herder attacks on villages and communities throughout the State, a number of primary schools have either been destroyed by fire or abandoned.
Ortom gave the order during his remarks at the Thanksgiving Mass in honour of “Onov Mba Zenke Geraza,” which was led by Tor Lobi, HRH Moses Anageende, and held at St. Theresa Catholic Church, Tse-Tseen, Saghev in Guma Local Government Area, according to a statement released by his media assistant, Nathaniel Ikyur.
The Governor instructed Joseph Utse, the Executive Secretary of SUBEB, to develop plans for the reconstruction of each burned-down block.
The primary school board was also directed to construct an additional block of classrooms in the school to serve the community.
He lamented that the school, which was constructed and fully equipped by his administration was razed down by Fulani terrorists, a development which had left the children of the community without access to education.
Governor Ortom also reiterated his call on people of the state to always be vigilant and prompt to respond to invaders whose sole agenda was not to graze but take over their ancestral land.
He called on those who registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure they collect their Permanent Voters Cards to enable them vote in the forthcoming elections.
He stressed that Benue people would not vote for those who would continue to make the people live as Internally Displaced Persons in their own land.
The governor further commended the security agencies for their “hard work, dedication, resilience, and patriotism” to guarantee security of lives and property.
To further strengthen the security of the state, the governor announced that his administration would embark on the third training of additional 1,000 personnel of the Community Volunteer Guards this month to boost their operations.
He said that the state security outfit whose role was to complement the conventional security agencies, requested traditional rulers to liaise with Local Government Chairmen in their respective Areas to nominate young men with proven integrity who would be trained in the next batch of volunteer guards.