PRESS RELEASE By Dr. Augustina Godwin Hon. Commissioner Ministry of Education.

 

UPDATE on Tragic Killing Of Bassey Sardauna and the Incident at Taraba State University

On 9 November 2023, Mr. Bassey Sardauna Nkuphee, a teacher with Model Secondary School Jalingo, was reportedly brutally assassinated by ex-students of the school. 

The Police immediately commenced investigation of the matter and the next day, the primary suspect of the murder act was nabbed but the principal suspect remained at large.

As soon as the incident occurred, Governor Agbu Kefas sent his condolences to the family of the deceased and the teaching community in Taraba State. Dr. Kefas also directed that an investigation committee be set up on the matter. 

Meanwhile, the Academic Staff Union of Secondary schools (ASUSS) has directed that all academic activities in schools be suspended until further notice. In the face of all this, a Committee of Inquiry that was set up in the wake of the manslaughter immediately swung into action by paying a condolence visit to the bereaved family. During the visit, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Mr. Idris Goje, delivered a condolence message, in which the committee sympathized with the family of the slain teacher. The family expressed its gratitude to the visitors for their visit, while demanding justice for the cruel death of their loved one. 

The committee has since continued its task of digging into the brains behind the heinous act and submit its report as quick as possible. 

As part of continuous efforts to maintain law and order, the House Committee Members on Education, headed my Hon. Angye Josiah Yaro, the Permanent Secretary and Commissioner of Education met with ASUSS executives on 10 November 2023 to condole with the body and resolve the issue of suspension of academic activities as declared by the group. At the end of the meeting, ASUSS was asked to forward all demands for their deceased colleague to the Committee of Inquiry and resume academic activities on Monday, 13 November as all necessary measures would be taken by Government for the welfare of the family of the deceased, the safety of students, and school teachers. 

All school heads are hereby directed to ensure they have the phone numbers of all relevant security agencies in the State. 

I would like to sincerely thank the Executive Secretary of the Post Primary schools Management Board Mr. Danazumi Navoki and Alh. Idris A. Goje for their prompt response when they got the news of the attack on Late Mr Bassey Sardauna. 

After the meeting with ASUSS Executives, the Commissioner of Education met with the Management of Taraba State University to get briefing regarding the attack on a student earlier the same day. It could be noted that one Abdulrashid Ibrahim, a final year student of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, was stabbed in the compound of the Friday Mosque, situated inside the University, allegedly by a non-student called Abdullahi Babangida Ahmed, following a verbal exchange between the two. The  University management is yet to come to terms with the fact that it was only a brawl that led to the stabbing of the student. The University management took 

prompt health and security measures to save the life of the victim, while ensuring the arrest of the culprit. 

It has been reported that the stabbed student is gradually stabilizing in the hospital, while the culprit is in the custody of the Police Command.

The Commissioner of Education commended the University management for the way it handled the matter.