Ogun teacher arrested and suspended after student’s death

A teacher at Obada Secondary School, Azamdjo Elijah, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command following the death of a second-grade secondary school student, Monday Arijo, after the teacher allegedly asked him to perform 162 frog jumps and beat him with 24 strokes of the cane.

This was when the Ogun State government announced the suspension of Azamdjo over the incident.

On Saturday, PUNCH reported that Ariyo died of complications following the punishment he received in response to his teacher’s instruction regarding a newly purchased garbage bin.

An activist identified as Adetoun shared the incident on Instagram on Friday, highlighting that a teacher was reported to have brought a trash can to Ariyo’s class with instructions that students should not destroy it.

She said Ariyo jokingly replied to the teacher that the trash can was bought with students’ money, which allegedly enraged the teacher.

Adetoun alleged that acting on the principal’s orders, the teacher caned Ariyo 162 times, causing the student to collapse and collapse.

Confirming the incident on Friday, the spokesman of the Ogun State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, said the deceased died at the Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, the state capital.

She said that contrary to reports that he was beaten with a cane to a distance of 162, Ariyo was forced to perform 162 frog jumps and was beaten with 24 strokes of the cane.

“The incident occurred on October 15, 2024. The deceased was asked to perform 162 frog jumps and 24 strokes of the cane. He was rushed to FMC Idi-Aba for medical attention and died today (October 25). The body of the deceased was deposited at the Ayetoro mortuary for autopsy. The investigation is ongoing,” PPRO said.

Meanwhile, a senior police officer of the division, who was not authorized to speak to the media, in a telephone conversation on Sunday, confirmed to our correspondent that the teacher had been arrested and taken to the police headquarters for further investigation.

A senior officer said: “He was arrested and transferred to headquarters in Abeokuta for further investigation.”

As of the time of filing this report, Odutola is yet to respond to inquiries regarding the arrest.

In a new development, the state government announced on Sunday that the teacher had been suspended and the school principal was questioned over the incident.

The suspension was revealed in a statement published on the state government’s X website on Sunday.

The statement shows that the school principal who allegedly ordered the punishment was also questioned.

The statement read: “The Ogun State Government, through the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, has suspended a teacher who allegedly beat up and punished Master Monday Arijo, an SS2 student of Obada Grammar School, Obada, Idi-emi, which reportedly resulted in his death. “The incident that occurred on Friday also led to the immediate arrest of the teacher as the principal of the school, Mrs. Tamrat Onaolapo, was immediately questioned for authorizing corporal punishment of the student against established rules and regulations in the state.

“The principal was given 24 hours to explain her actions and why disciplinary action should not be taken against her for acting contrary to the instructions of established authority.”

The statement also noted that the government expressed sympathy to the family of the deceased student, describing him as an exceptional student.

“A letter of condolence was then sent to the bereaved family, expressing sympathy for the sudden death of their loving son and promising to obtain justice for the family.

“The letter, signed by the permanent secretary of the ministry, described the deceased student as an exceptional student who will be missed by his peers, the school and the entire country.

“He then prayed for the strength necessary for the family to bear the irreplaceable loss, as well as for the repose of the deceased’s soul,” the statement concluded.