The Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar has ordered the immediate closure of Sa’adu Zungur secondary school for boys and girls for conducting mass wedding among themselves. Sa’adu Zungur a multi-billion naira secondary school was constructed by former Governor Isa Yuguda with the aimed of boosting social behavioral change among youths.
According to the Governor, “I received reports that some senior students (Boys and girls) conducted illegal marriages among themselves within the school which is unacceptable”
Male students used to pay the token sums of N500 as dowry to their female counterparts as precondition for their marriages, while classmates of both the ‘grooms and brides’ contribute money to purchase snacks being consumed at the ceremonies.
Sources in the school revealed that although male and female students study in separate classes in the school, the attention of the teachers was drawn to such illegal marriages only last week, when an SS2 student organized an illegal wedding ceremony at a free classroom for him and his lover who was also a senior student.
The cheers of celebration made the teachers rush to the venue where the cheers emanated and discovered that a wedding ceremony was taking place between the two students.
The matter was then reported to the school’s principal, Malam Ahmed Zailani, who also consulted the State Ministry of Education on the appropriate action to be taken against the erring boys and girls , the development led to the instant closure of both the primary and secondary sections of the school.
The state Deputy Governor and commissioner of education, Engineer Nuhu Gidado in a statement attributed the children’s illegal marriages to the threats of moral decadence in the society. He had directed the immediate closure of the school on Friday, 10th March 2017 after being notified about the issue.
He added that a committee which comprises all directors in the state ministry of education, the school authority, teachers as well as the Parents and Teachers Association [PTA] was constituted and tasked to investigate the matter and come up with a detailed and sincere report before the school would be re-opened.
