By FRANCIS IGATA

ENUGU—Teachers and pupils of a private school situated on Bisala Road, Independence Layout, Enugu, last Tuesday, foiled attempt by officials of the Enugu State Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, from demolishing their perimeter fence.b Officials of ECTDA, accompanied by armed policemen besieged the school at about 2.15p.m. to demolish the perimeter fence separating it from the premises of a three-star hotel in the area.

•Teachers, pupils standing against ECTDA demolition

The South-East Voice gathered that ECTDA had notified the management of the school on its intention to demolish the perimeter fence for allegedly contravening the waterways policy of the authority. The school was among the over 2000 houses and shops earmarked for demolition on the last days of the immediate past administration of Governor Sullivan Chime.

Sources said that the distance of the perimeter fence of the hotel and the river was not wide enough, adding that it contravened the eight metres distance away from the waterways as the fence stood two metres away from the river.

However, an assessment of the distance, between the fence and the shallow river flowing along the fence showed that the fence stood eight clear metres away from the river.

The source wondered why the school’s fence which was in compliance with waterways policy should be targeted, leaving other structures and buildings that were in clear violation of the policy.

A dependable source told South-East Voice that the former Commissioner for ECTDA, Mr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede had earlier allegedly issued a clean bill of health on the perimeter fence, insisting that the bid to demolish the fence by former governor Chime was purely a vindictive move.

Teachers, pupils resist move

Over 1,000 teachers and pupils from the school stood against the ECTDA officials from demolishing the fence, chanting songs of eliciting sympathy while seeking divine intervention.

The ECTDA officials, who came for the exercise with their D6 earth moving machine beat a hasty retreat when military personnel alighted at the scene.

The presence of the military personnel was said to have been arranged by the proprietor of the school.

The Hilux truck which conveyed the military personnel was stationed across the road leading to the school until Chime left office last Friday.