A teacher at the Obada Grammar School, Azamdjo Elijah, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command following the death of a Senior Secondary School 2 student, Monday Ariyo, after the teacher had allegedly asked him to perform 162 frog jumps and beaten him 24 strokes of the cane.
This is just as the Ogun State Government announced the suspension of Azamdjo over the incident.
It was gathered that Ariyo died after suffering complications from the punishment he was subjected to following his response to the teacher’s instruction over a newly purchased dustbin.
An activist identified as Adetoun had on Friday shared the incident on Instagram stressing that the teacher had reportedly brought a dustbin to Ariyo’s class with instructions that the students should not break the dustbin.
She narrated that Ariyo had jokingly replied to the teacher that the dustbin was bought with the students’ money, a response which was said to have infuriated the teacher.
Adetoun alleged that acting on the principal’s instruction, the teacher flogged Ariyo 162 times with a cane and in the process, the student fell and collapsed.
While confirming the incident on Friday, the spokesperson for the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said the deceased was confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, the state capital.
She said contrary to reports of being beaten 162 with a cane, Ariyo was made to perform 162 frog jumps and was beaten 24 strokes of the cane.
“The incident happened on October 15, 2024. The deceased was asked to do 162 frog jumps and was given 24 strokes of the cane. He was rushed to the FMC Idi-Aba for medical attention and he died today (October 25). The deceased body has been deposited at the Ayetoro mortuary for autopsy. An investigation is ongoing,” the PPRO had said.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer in the division who was not authorised to speak with the media confirmed to our correspondent in a telephone conversation on Sunday that the teacher had been arrested and transferred to the police headquarters for onward investigation.
The senior officer said, “He has been arrested and transferred to the headquarters in Abeokuta for onward investigation.”
In a new development, the state government announced on Sunday that the teacher had been suspended and the principal of the school had also been queried about the incident.
The suspension was disclosed in a statement shared on the state government’s X page on Sunday.
According to the statement, the principal of the school who had allegedly instructed the punishment has also been queried.
The statement read, “The Ogun State Government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, has suspended a teacher alleged to have beaten and punished one Master Monday Arijo, an SS2 student of Obada Grammar School, Obada, Idi-emi, which reportedly led to his demise.“The incident, which happened on Friday, also led to the immediate arrest of the teacher, as the Principal of the school, Mrs Tamrat Onaolapo, was promptly queried for allowing corporal punishment to be used on the pupil against the established rules and regulations in the state.
“The principal was given 24 hours to explain her actions and why disciplinary actions should not be taken against her for acting against the instructions of constituted authority.”
The statement also noted that the government commiserated with the family of the deceased student while describing him as an exceptional learner.
“Subsequently, a letter of condolence was sent to the bereaved family, commiserating with them on the sudden death of their loving son and promising to get justice for the family.
“The letter, which was signed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, described the late learner as an exceptional pupil who would be missed by his colleagues, the school, and the state at large.
“It then prayed for requisite strength for the family to bear the irreplaceable loss as well as for the repose of the departed soul,” the statement concluded.
