The Police in Delta State have arrested a teacher in a private school in Asaba over the circumstances that led to the death of Obina Udeze, a one-year-seven-month-old pre-Nursery pupil of the school.
The teacher, Emeka Nwogbo who is the son of the school’s owner had reportedly flogged Udeze on Monday, leaving marks of cane on his body.
The result of the beating, according to reports, made the little boy fall sick, before he was taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, where his health condition deteriorated, leading to his death.
A report said the teacher flogged Udeze for pushing another child while another report claimed that the victim was punished for playing with a tap in the school.
Another report claimed the little boy was hungry and approached the proprietress with his lunch box, crying, but in the process of doing, Nwogbo interfered and allegedly whipped the boy for being troublesome.
Mrs. Gift Udeze, the mother of the deceased told PUNCH correspondent on phone that her son returned from the school, Arise and Shine Nursery and Primary School on Monday with marks of strokes all over his body.
In her words:
“I took him back to the school immediately to enquire why he was beaten that much. The proprietress asked me if I knew the gravity of my son’s offence; a boy of a year and seven months. I told her I would come back the next day to know the person who beat him.
“On my way home, some pupils of the same school told me how my son was tied up and given several strokes of cane because he said he was hungry. Throughout the night, he was running temperature. On Tuesday, I took him to the school to complain. The woman said I was disturbing the peace of the school.”
The mother explained that she left the school and took Udeze to the hospital where he was admitted, adding that the proprietress didn’t bother to visit the boy.
She stated, “On Thursday, he went into a coma. That was when I involved a non-governmental organisation and the police went to the school. The woman’s son (Nwogbo) told the police that he flogged my son.
“He said he (Udeze) was playing with the tap but his mother even said my son’s hand couldn’t reach where the tap is. At the GRA Police Station, he changed the narrative; he said my son pushed another child and he beat him. The proprietress herself claimed my son was stubborn and cried a lot.”
The bereaved mother said she asked more pupils what transpired that day and was told that Udeze took his lunch box to “the Big Mummy (the proprietress),” crying.
“They said she collected the box from him and complained that he cried too much. They said the proprietress’ son tied him up and started flogging him. He was my only child; my everything. He became so weak and died this morning (Saturday) at the emergency ward of the FMC,” she stated before breaking down in tears.
The Coordinator, Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, Mr Ebenezer Omejalile, while commenting on the incident, affirmed that the organisation would follow up on the case to ensure justice was served.
He said, “Even if the child was beaten for playing with water, was it not negligence on the part of the school? The boy’s father is a military officer serving in the North East. The family doesn’t even know whether he is dead or alive. He is under the captivity of Boko Haram.
“We want to see what the government will do on this case. We want to see what the Ministry of Justice and the police will do. A similar thing happened in Lagos a few days ago when a two-year-old was flogged because he could not read the English alphabet.”
DSP Bright Edafe, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer in the state, while reacting to the incident said the police had commenced investigation into Udeze’s death.
He said, “According to the information available to me, the child was beaten by a son of the proprietress. The son is a teacher in the school. He is in custody. The little boy died this morning.
“The reason (for the beating) is immaterial. What could make an adult flog a one-year-seven-month-old child?”
Comments
Post a Comment