A junior student of Simple Faith Schools, Agbara, Lagos State, has died after he was allegedly flogged by his teacher.
Emmanuel Amidu died at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Surulere.
The victim’s father, Akinola Amidu, claimed that the 12-year-old JSS2 student was flogged by a teacher at school for not completing his assignment on Thursday, May 12, 2022.
He said his son started vomiting shortly after the beating and was rushed to a hospital, where he gave up the ghost on Friday, May 13, 2022.
The father alleged that the school management was covering up his son’s death and protecting the mathematics teacher, one Steven, who flogged Emmanuel and the rest of the class for failing to do their homework.
He said: “I was at home that Thursday because I was on leave. I recall that Emmanuel asked me for money to buy a new exercise book and I gave him N500 to buy the book and give the remaining change to his sister.
“Later that day, I was called by the management of the school that Emmanuel was vomiting. Meanwhile, this was a boy who left home without any health issue. I had to go to the school and we moved him to a hospital.
“I later learnt that the whole thing started after their class teacher, Mr Steven, beat the whole of his class for not completing their mathematics assignment.
“Emmanuel was actually using my phone torchlight to do his assignment a day before, but I had to collect the phone from him and his sister because I needed to be in contact with the office. We had issues with our electricity at home.
“It was at LUTH that I lost my son. Meanwhile, the management of the school quickly ran to the Morogbo Police Station at Agbara to report that my son died from vomiting.
“How can somebody just die from vomiting if nothing triggers it? The management of the school is trying to protect the teacher.”
Akinola, 45, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the teacher, as he urged the state government and the police to give the family justice.
Emmanuel’s 13-year-old sister, Rachael, told the publication that her brother vomited after he was beaten.
She said: “I was called by our English teacher that my brother was not feeling fine and he did not eat and had been sleeping.
“His friend told me that they were beaten for not doing their sums in mathematics and after that he was just sleeping and vomiting.”
The school Principal, Adetayo Akanji, told Punch: “I was there when Emannuel died on Friday and it was unfortunate that it happened this way. Yes, Steven flogged the whole class for not doing their sums, but not with the intention to hurt them.
“Some hours after that, he (Emmanuel) placed his head on his desk and he started vomiting, after which water was poured on his head.
“When he started to vomit, the proprietor called me and we took the boy to the hospital. In fact, the father joined us when he was taken to LUTH where he and I were running around to get prescribed drugs for him. But before we came back, he had given up. Our school reported the matter at the Morogbo Police Station.”