Jail for Nigerians who avoid schooling

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LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- Nigeria will jail parents who refuse to send their children to school, The Guardian of Lagos reported Sunday.

The National Assembly called on traditional ethnic rulers to ensure strict compliance with the directive, the newspaper said.

Deputy Senate President Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu told parents Saturday "it is only through education" they can "be set free from the shackles of ignorance and imperialism."

Mantu said education at the primary school level would be free and compulsory, and anyone who fails to send his children to school will be prosecuted.

He urged Nigerians to shun the habit of perceiving western education as an aspect of Christianity. In a bid to stem the number of children being recruited as armed soldiers, Mantu pointed out both Islam and Christianity abhor senseless killings.

He appealed to the youths to stop being used as the "vanguard of destruction," adding that no investor will invest in a place where there is no peace and stability.