Ogun Assembly Moves To Curtail Crimes Among School Pupils

ABEOKUTA – Concerned by the dangerous turn of events among primary and secondary school pupils in Ogun State, the State House of Assembly has said that plans are underway for the convocation of a school security summit as part of its efforts towards evolving strategies for crime control and preventions within the schools in the State.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo disclosed this during an advocacy visit by members of the National School Crime Prevention Corps led by its Commandant, Mr. Ige Folayinka at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Oluomo explained that it had become expedient for the Ninth Assembly to interface with stakeholders in the education sector alongside the top hierarchy of all security agencies, traditional rulers and community leaders among others concerned stakeholders in order to ensure sustenance of peace and stability in the schools.

This according to him, remained essential as a result of the dangerous triend of events among school pupils threatening the peace and orderliness in the schools, which often had some consequences on the larger society.

The Speaker in company of other lawmakers including his Deputy, Akeem Balogun stressed the need for the full implementation of some exiting laws to checkmate the excesses of anyone engaged in social vices including kidnappings, thuggery, cultism-related offences and robbery amongst others.

Commending the efforts of the corps at nipping crimes in the bud through apprehension of deviant students resulting in rehabilitation and where necessary handing them over to security agencies, the Speaker condemned the rising spate of social vices being perpetrated by school pupils in some of the schools across the State.

Oluomo expressed optimism  that the summit was capable of bringing to the front burner, issues bordering on threat to peace and security, especially amongst school pupils with a view to harnessing the recommendations of stakeholders, which would in turn guide the Assembly to take appropriate legislative action where necessary.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Corps,  Fokayinka Ige, informed the lawmakers of the corps’ efforts at addressing social unrest occasioned by hooliganism, cult-related activities and fetish practices among school pupils, adding that it had ensured the rehabilitation and reintegration of some deviant students.

The Commandant, who sought for the Assembly’s support including the enactment of a bill on school crime and prevention control in the State, appealed to the lawmakers to help contribute to the Educational Support Programme (EFSP) in their respective constituencies, thereby preventing crimes and thus reduce the criminal tendency among the school pupils.

In her address, the Provost, Civil Defence College of Security Management, NSCDC, Cmdt. Rachael Awosusi, applauded the efforts of the corps, saying that NSCDC had been giving operational and logistic supports to the corps towards aiding the effective discharge of its duties.