To further enhance its civil-military relations, soldiers from 27 Brigade, under 7 Division Nigerian Army in Borno State, have built a temporary school in Bama for Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs.

The school, according to the Nigerian Army, has two sections, one for children and the other for adult women.

Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, a Colonel, said 3,000 children are currently being taught by soldiers who are not on military duty and school teachers among the IDPs.

“The school comprised 6 military tents in which soldiers not on essential duty served as teachers. In addition, some of the IDPs who were teachers before the their displacement, also teach in the school.

“Presently, the school has a population of over 3,000 children. The Brigade has also establish a section of adult education for women,” Usman said.

The statement added that impressed with the army’s effort, the United Nations Children Education Fund, UNICEF, donated two additional tents and school bags while the Borno State Urban Education appointed a principal to help run the school.

Usman said the Army has received commendations from the United Nations Secretary General and others.

“The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Sahel, Mr Toby Lanzer, and Borno State Government celebrated the recently held World Humanitarian Day with the IDPs in the school and commended the efforts of the Nigerian Army for establishing the school,” Usman said.

“Similarly, an American Non-Government Organization (NGO), Empower54, equally impressed with the fact that ‘despite the heavy responsibility of fighting off the terrorists daily, the soldiers are making time to teach the children’, appreciates the soldiers of 21 Brigade for their selfless effort by establishing the school in a blog and hashtag,” he pointed out.