This is the story of an abandoned public school block in Gitata, Panda Development Area, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, barely a stone’s throw from Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
At one of the major gateways into the FCT lies a troubling reality: a public secondary school block that has been abandoned for over a decade, now serving as a hideout for drug dealers, addicts, and smokers.
Gitata Community
“I am not saying that children in Gitata are not schooling,” says Mr. Idris, a youth leader in the community. “But what I am trying to say is that many give more attention to trade and handwork than to education.”
Gitata is a densely populated and rapidly growing community with a large number of children engaged in street hawking, trading, and vocational learning from an early age. Despite this growth, one block of Gitata Senior Secondary School remains abandoned.
The community is estimated to have a population of about 3,000 people and is among the fastest-growing settlements around Panda Development Area. Its strategic location once a major link road connecting Plateau, Kaduna, and the FCT contributed to its growth, though the route is now less used due to security concerns.
In recent years, Gitata has witnessed mass migration owing to its vast land, fertile soil, and relative peace. The area is economically active, with both micro- and macro-scale trading. According to Mr. Idris, “On a scale of ten, nine people in this community are traders. In every family, it is almost impossible not to find a trader or a farmer.”
This economic appeal has attracted many migrants, including internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Borno, Niger, Plateau, Kaduna, and Adamawa States who lost homes and livelihoods due to insurgency. Hausa traders and Fulani herders have also settled in the area, mostly coexisting peacefully despite occasional conflicts.
The indigenous inhabitants are predominantly the Yenkpa (Yeskwa) people, with minorities from the Gwandara, Hausa, and Fulani ethnic groups. This diversity contributes to the complex social and economic structure of the community.
Nearly 90 percent of the community depends on the Gitata Market as their main source of income and access to goods and services.
“The Jungle”
At the entrance of the school are three blocks: one currently in use, another previously used as a laboratory and now under renovation, and a third that is poorly maintained and rarely used.
Behind these structures stands a neglected and crumbling building with a damaged roof, rotten ceilings, and vandalized facilities appearing as though it could collapse at the sound of a puppet barking.
“Ah, Jungle! Isn’t that what they call it? Jungle that’s the name” says Mr. Timothy, a community member who works as a laborer in the school and lives directly opposite the premises. “Come here in the evening and you’ll see them trooping in large numbers, continuing from where they stopped the previous day.”
The building, now popularly known as “The Jungle,” has a long history of controversy that led to its abandonment.
The project was awarded during the administration of Governor Abdullahi Adamu (1999–2007). It was reportedly handled by a contractor based in Keffi. However, upon completion, the Ministry of Education issued a letter instructing the school management not to commission the building, stating that it did not meet the agreed standards.
A security guard was initially stationed there by the contractor, but after a few years, he left. Since then, the structure has deteriorated and transformed into its current state.
Another account was shared by Mr. Aliyu, who graduated from the school over a decade ago.
“We met it the way it is,” he said when asked about the block. “Jungle ba?”
According to him, the abandoned block has long served as a hideout for drug addicts, dealers, and smokers, despite repeated raids by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the Nigerian Police, and occasionally the Nigerian Army.
Mr. Aliyu further explained that the contractor and the then-governor were initially close allies but later fell out over unresolved issues. As a result, part of the contractor’s payment was allegedly withheld, prompting him to abandon the project without officially handing it over to the state government.
Community leader’s account.
At the community level, the community leader of the area where the school is located, Baba Palla Yarima, shared his account of events. He explained that the contract for the project was awarded to a contractor based in Keffi. According to Baba Palla, when the project was nearing completion, the then principal made use of the classrooms by allocating them to newly admitted UBE students so that academic activities could begin. This decision was welcomed by everyone in the community. However, a few weeks later, a letter was received from the State Ministry of Education rejecting the project on the grounds that it did not meet the required standards. As a result, the students were relocated back to the JSS site, and the classrooms have remained unoccupied to date.
Initially, the contractor employed a security guard to safeguard the building from theft. Unfortunately, the guard later left, and some of the roofing sheets were stolen. Since then, the abandoned building has become a hotspot for various negative activities, which pose a serious concern for both the students and the wider community. The community has repeatedly engaged the state government on this issue, but without success. Consequently, the community had no option but to involve security agencies within the area to curb the misuse of the building. Although several arrests have been made in the past and security patrols continue, the problem persists, as some individuals still engage in unlawful activities within the premises.
From the Parents’ Teachers Table
In an interview with the Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Mr. James Ishaya, he expressed deep concern over the impact of the abandoned block on students and the wider community.
According to him, the school suffers from a severe shortage of classrooms, forcing students in Science, Arts, and Commercial classes to share the same learning space an arrangement he described as far below acceptable educational standards.
“This problem did not start with me,” Mr. James said. “The abandoned block has existed for over a decade. Each time we ask questions, we are told the same thing: ‘The project did not meet required standards.’ Meanwhile, our children suffer.”
He warned that the continued existence of “The Jungle” poses a serious moral and security threat, especially to younger students who regularly witness illicit activities around the area. “If they keep seeing this, one day they may be tempted to join,” he cautioned.
Mr. James noted that the PTA and school management have repeatedly engaged security agencies to conduct patrols around the area. He called on relevant authorities to urgently rehabilitate and repurpose the abandoned classrooms for educational use instead of allowing them to remain a liability.
A Ministry of Education official, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the state government is aware of the project and had formally rejected it for failing to meet contractual standards. He condemned the immoral use of the structure and assured that the government remains committed to improving education across the state and would not abandon any community.
