Herdsmen have reportedly taken over the premises of Government Secondary School, Omerelu, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State, leaving the institution abandoned and its students displaced.
The situation came to public attention on Thursday when some students and an opinion leader from the community briefed journalists shortly after the commissioning of the Egbeda–Omerelu Link Road by the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara. Although the problem has persisted for months, the commissioning of the road has renewed calls for urgent government attention.
According to residents, the school—strategically located along the newly inaugurated road—has become unsafe as roaming cattle and herdsmen now occupy its classrooms, open fields, and access routes.
Students who attempted to access the premises in recent weeks confirmed that dilapidated buildings, broken desks, and the presence of herders have made learning impossible.
A community leader and spokesperson for the affected students, Mr. Obinichi Amadi, described the development as both an educational and security crisis.
Amadi said the takeover of the school by suspected herdsmen poses a direct threat to children and undermines the developmental prospects expected from the newly completed link road.
He explained that the school, established to serve the Egbeda–Omerelu corridor, has suffered long-term infrastructural decay, creating the vacuum that allowed herdsmen to encroach on the premises.
According to him, the community has repeatedly appealed for intervention and is now placing renewed hope in the Governor following the commissioning of the road.
Student representatives lamented the collapse of their learning environment, citing leaking roofs, collapsed walls, overgrown bushes, and the absence of security as reasons many parents have withdrawn their children for safety.
Parents warn that closing the school completely could force them to send their children to distant communities, exposing them to further hardship. Many fear that if the school remains abandoned, children may drift into street life, early labour, or become vulnerable to insecurity.
Amadi appealed directly to Governor Fubara, expressing confidence that the Governor’s record of quiet but impactful governance offers hope for the school’s rehabilitation.
As the newly commissioned road receives accolades, the people of Omerelu are issuing a clear and urgent call: Government Secondary School, Omerelu must be rescued, rehabilitated, and returned to its students.
It was gathered that the once-thriving citadel of learning has been in this deplorable state for nearly two decades.