BY CHINEDU AMEDE
SUSPECTED night marauders broke into various offices, including the principal’s office and science laboratories, at Ugiliamai Mixed Secondary School, in Onicha-Ukwuani, Ndokwa West Local Government Area, killing a night guard, Chief Governor Igbeh (59), and carted away valuables estimated at over ₦34 million.
Our correspondent in Kwale gathered information from the school principal, Mr. Godmade Odubu, that the alleged hoodlums stormed the school compound around 11 p.m. on that fateful night, overpowered the two night guards on duty, the late Governor Igbeh and Mr. Ossai Friday, before proceeding with their criminal acts.
According to the principal, the burglars first ransacked his office before breaking into the science laboratories.
They operated for over three hours unchallenged before calling in a bus driver who helped them evacuate stolen items.
The looted valuables included a lawnmower, cartons of chalk, WAEC calculators for students, palmtop computers with chargers and accessories, complete sets of desktop computers, solar power batteries, printer machines, typewriters, extension sockets, and science laboratory equipment such as triple stands, retort stands, Bunsen burners, and assorted chemicals.
The surviving night guard, Mr. Friday Ossai, who narrated the ordeal to the school authorities, was said to have sustained serious injuries and has been hospitalized. Meanwhile, the re- mains of the deceased, Chief Governor Igbeh, had been deposited in a mortuary at the time of filing this report.
In a statement, the school principal expressed his condolences to the family of the de- ceased as he called on community leaders to take urgent steps to investigate the incident and bring the perpetrators to justice. He also appealed to the elite in the town to support the government’s efforts by constructing a perimeter fence around the school, while urging the Delta State Government to beef up security in schools by employing more security personnel to guard the large expanse of the school compound and prevent a recurrence.
Odubu confirmed that the incident had been reported at the Kwale Police Station and called on law enforcement officers to conduct a thorough investigation to apprehend the hoodlums. Reports indicate that the same criminals also burgled the community health center, carting away several valuable medical equipment.
Attempts to speak with the school’s PTA representatives and community leaders were unsuccessful at the time of writing this report.
