The Benue State Government has sealed Orenda and Opal Schools over allegations that they forced parents to purchase textbooks directly from the institutions and subjected learners to unfair treatment.
The Benue Education Quality Assurance and Examinations Board (BEQAEB) said the enforcement action followed complaints from parents and alleged violations of the state’s textbook policy. The board’s Executive Secretary, Dr Terna Francis, disclosed this on Friday, alleging that the schools’ proprietor, Onyinye Okoye, and some staff members verbally assaulted officials during the closure exercise.
Francis also accused the proprietor and staff of damaging an official vehicle after the team served the schools with a court order authorising the closure. According to the executive secretary, the complaints centred on the schools’ alleged refusal to allow learners to use prescribed textbooks purchased from external bookstores.
Benue’s textbook policy permits parents to reuse books passed down from older children to younger siblings or purchase required textbooks from bookstores of their choice. Francis said the board had repeatedly informed school proprietors about the policy, which is intended to reduce the financial burden on families.
However, he alleged that the affected schools insisted that parents purchase textbooks directly from their premises, even when they had already obtained the prescribed books elsewhere. He further alleged that some pupils whose parents had paid their school fees but could not afford the schools’ textbooks were subjected to punitive treatment, including having their homework left unmarked.
Parents who sought permission for their children to use textbooks purchased elsewhere were reportedly told to buy new copies from the schools or withdraw their children and enrol them in other institutions. Francis said the schools also allegedly prevented learners from bringing externally purchased textbooks into classrooms, leaving some pupils demoralised and withdrawn.
He described the alleged practices as unacceptable, stressing that the government introduced the policy to promote textbook reuse, protect learners and ease education costs for parents.
Court Order Preceded School Closures
Francis said BEQAEB had invited Okoye and the school administrators to a meeting to address the complaints, but they failed to attend. The board subsequently approached the court through the Benue State Attorney-General and obtained an order authorising the sealing of the premises, he said.
Francis alleged that Okoye and some staff members confronted the officials during the enforcement exercise, subjecting them to verbal abuse and damaging a vehicle belonging to the board. He maintained that disagreements between school operators and regulators should be resolved through lawful channels rather than violence or intimidation.
The executive secretary said the schools would remain sealed until their proprietors and administrators fulfilled the board’s requirements, demonstrated compliance with government regulations and committed to protecting the rights of learners and parents.
He also urged parents and guardians who had experienced similar alleged victimisation or violations of education policies to submit formal complaints, supported by relevant evidence, to BEQAEB. Francis assured the public that submitted petitions would be investigated and appropriate action taken in accordance with the law.
