In order to protect their children from abductors and criminals, parents and guardians—especially the wealthy—have been advised to cease purchasing iPhones for their students at postsecondary educational institutions around the nation.
It was revealed at a stakeholder conference involving parents of Al-Hikmah University students in Ilọrin that these preventable choices had resulted in fatalities and psychological anguish.
Speaking during the programme, the Vice Chancellor, Al-Hikmah University, Prof Noah Yusuf, said “We have observed a very disturbing trend. Parents should stop buying expensive phones for children to use in the universities.
“Students who display particularly expensive iPhones are attracting kidnappers, criminals, and burglars to themselves and the hostels.
“The boyfriend(s) of a female student attacked and stole her iPhone 11 in the hostel. The parent immediately replaced it with an iPhone 12/14 pro the following day only for the thieves to return and steal the new phone in another attack!
“Another female student was traced and shot over an iPhone. It was the grace of Allah that we were able to revive her to continue her studies. Why should we give a student an iPhone of between N2 million to N5 million or even more? There are several less expensive phones that can equally assist the students in their assignment and other school work”, he added.
In his speech, the Kwara State Commander of the NDLEA, Mohammed Bashir Ibrahim criticized the state of affairs and urged parents to work with their children to ensure that they receive a solid, drug-free education so that they can build a better nation.
Tijjani Yusuf Orinsakoko, the forum chairman, emphasized the importance of parents serving as their children’s moral compass.
In an interview with DailyTrust, a few of the parents demanded increased cooperation amongst all parties involved in order to help “our Ivory Towers and the students.”
