Slain Taraba Teacher Was Our Breadwinner - Family

Father of late secondary school teacher Bassey Sardauna Nkuphee who was killed by some students have described his son as the breadwinner of his family.

The father, retired ASP Sardauna Gatare speaking on Rock FM Jalingo said calls for diligent prosecution  of those behind the gruesome murder of his son, Bassey Sardauna Nkuphee.

Bassey Nkuphee, a teacher, working at Model Secondary School, in Jalingo, was last week stabbed to death in the school premises by some of his students.

The incident, which did not only herald palpable tension across the state, but also crippled academic activities as the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) ordered the immediate suspension of learning activities in secondary schools across the state.However, Police in Taraba State has declared 18- year-old Auwalu Abdurashid wanted for stabbing a teacher to death in Taraba State.

A statement from the command's spokesman Usman Abdullahi described  Auwalu Abdurashid as the principal  suspect in the murder of the teacher, Bassey Sadauna, on Thursday at Government Model School Jalingo. 

"Auwalu Abdurashid, Male, 18 years and Fulani by tribe, the principal suspect in the murder of Mr. Bassey who is on the run is hereby declared wanted, kindly report his whereabouts until he is apprehended and handed over to law enforcement agencies for prosecution," the statement said.

Governor Agbu Kefas has condoled with  family, teachers in the state and the school over the death.

A statement signed by the senior special adviser to the governor on media and digital communications Hon. Emmanuel Bello said

Governor Kefas strongly condemned the action of the student and a thorough investigation would be carried out. He decried the use of drugs by some youths and prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased. Kefas said no teacher ought to lose their lives while imparting knowledge, describing the occurrence as highly regrettable.

Also the Jenjo Community Development Association (JCDA) has called on the leadership of the Taraba State Police Command to immediately arrest, investigate and prosecute the killers of a secondary school teacher in the state.

Making their positions known at a media briefing in Jalingo, the JCDA leadership said: "We call on the commissioner of police to immediately arrest, investigate and prosecute all the culprits in this heinous act."

Ezekiel Nemuel, who stood in for the association's national president, also called on the state government to, as a matter of urgency, take over the responsibility of the three children left behind by the deceased to the highest level of education.

Describing the gruesome murdered of the teacher as barbaric, he underscored the need for security agencies to be proactive in stemming acts like these.

He cited cases of sons and daughters of the community that in the past have been forcefully ushered to the graveyards by undesirable elements, asking that the government should strengthen security around schools and aggressively implement the Safe Schools Global Initiative.

He beckoned at the people of the community where the deceased teacher hailed from as well as friends and well wishers to refrain from any form of reprisals, stating that the JCDA will work assiduously with the law enforcement agencies in ensuring that justice is done.