Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta
A gang of ten senior secondary school students in Ogun State have reportedly beaten a teacher, Kolawole Shonuga, for stopping one of them from cheating during an examination in the school.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday at Isanbi Comprehensive High School, Ilisan-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of the state.
It was further gathered that Shonuga, while invigilating the unified examination for the SS 1 Art class students, caught one 18-year-old Ashimi Adebanjo, cheating and seized his paper.
Dissatisfied with the teacher’s action, the students after school hours, ganged up, waylaid the teacher, and beat him up at the school’s gate.
An eye witness who pleaded anonymity said one of them, Kazeem Adelaja allegedly hit a stick on Shonuga’s head while others were beating him.
Our correspondent gathered that Police from the Remo Division later pounced on the students and arrested about ten of them.
When contacted, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Omotola Odutola, confirmed the incident.
Odutola said Shonuga had made a formal report on the alleged assault at Remo Police Division.
She also confirmed the arrest of the ten suspects.
A police source hinted that the suspects have already been arraigned in court for assault.
The State Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Felix Agbesanwa frowned at the incident and insisted that the students must face the wrath of the law to serve as a deterrent.
He said “The incident is true and I have been briefed. Our stand is that any student who raises his hand against his teacher should face the wrath of the law.
“There’s no going back on that. No student must raise his hands against the teacher, whether Ogun Teach teachers or permanent teachers, a teacher is a teacher.
“They must be made to face the law to serve as a deterrent. I learnt they have been charged to court already.”
The state government has also condemned the act and vowed that it would not condone acts of indiscipline by learners across the state.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu stated this in Abeokuta while receiving the new Executive of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria.
He noted that part of the efforts put in place was the signing of Undertaking Forms by learners, parents, and school heads to make learners and parents liable for any misconduct of the learners or parents alike, saying the aim was to have a safe learning environment free from the pandemonium of any sort.
“I’m using this opportunity to advise parents to talk to their children, they should warn them, because we won’t tolerate any indiscipline from any child. Any student that misbehaves in school will be dealt with appropriately,” he said.
In October 2021, no fewer than four cases of assault on teachers were recorded in different public schools in the Ogun state, forcing the government to introduce a compulsory undertaking signed by all the students and their parents to curb hooliganism.
