19-Month-Old Pupil Hospitalised, Dies Five Days After He Was Flogged By Teacher

The operatives of the Delta State Police Command have arrested the son of a proprietress and teacher at a private school in Asaba, Emeka Nwogbo, in connection with the death of a one-year-seven-month-old pre-Nursery pupil of the school, Obina Udeze.

It was earlier reported that Obina was hospitalised after he was given 31 strokes of the cane for playing with water on Monday.

Obina was taken to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba where he eventually died on Saturday morning.

According to PUNCH, the victim’s mother, Gift, who spoke via phone on Saturday, said her son returned from the school – Arise and Shine Nursery and Primary School – on Monday with marks of strokes all over his body.

Recalling the sad incident, she said; “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.”

Gift 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 was involved in 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 State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe, 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?”