A gang of 10 secondary school students in Ogun State reportedly attacked one of their teachers, who prevented them from cheating during the last third term examination.
The students of Isanbi Comprehensive High School, Ilisan-Remo, in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun, had waylaid the teacher, Kolawole Shonuga, on Tuesday.
It was gathered that Shonuga while invigilating the unified examination for the SS 1 Art class students, caught one of the boys, 18-year-old Ashimi Adebanjo, cheating, and he seized his paper.
A witness explained that after school hours, the student gathered somewhere, waylaid the teacher and beat him up at the school gate.
It was learnt that one of the boys, Kazeem Adelaja, allegedly hit a stick on Shonuga’s head while others were beating him.
Meanwhile, policemen from the Remo Division have arrested a sizeable number of the suspects.
Police spokesman, Omotola Odutola, confirmed the incident, saying Shonuga had formally reported the alleged assault at Remo Police Division while confirming the arrest of 10 suspects.
However, the chairperson of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) in the state, Felix Agbesanwa, condemned the incident.
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 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.”
Assault of teachers by students is not a strange development in Ogun State. In 2021, at least four cases were recorded in public schools in the state, following which the state government made students of public schools and their parents sign an undertaking not to be involved in hooliganism.
In a related development, Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, also condemned the students’ actions with a vow that the state government would not condone acts of indiscipline by learners across the state.
Mr Arigbabu vowed that acts of indiscipline by students would not be condoned in the state.
He gave this warning in Abeokuta while receiving the new Executive of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria (MAN).
He said the signing of the undertaking was to make students and parents liable for misconduct and to create a safe learning environment in public schools.
