A 12-year-old pupil of a secondary
school in Awka, Anambra State, Miss Chidimma Ukachukwu, has died after she was
allegedly flogged by her teacher for failing to do her homework.
A reliable source in the school told
theNews Agency of Nigeria in
Awka on Tuesday that the girl died on Thursday last week after she was flogged.
The source explained that the girl
fainted after being flogged severally by a female teacher and was subsequently
rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where she died.
The source also told NAN that the
Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Uju Okeke, then ordered the closure of the
school as a result of the incident.
A NAN correspondent, who visited the
girl’s family home, soon after she was buried on Tuesday in Awka, reports that
the family was in grief.
The girl’s father, Mr. Simeon Ukachukwu,
confirmed the incident, saying it was a sad development. He added that it was
an act of God.
But when Okeke was contacted, she
denied ordering the closure of the school and said that the school was on
midterm break.
NAN investigation, however, revealed
that schools in the state were not on midterm break.
This fact was corroborated by an
official of the Nigerian Union of Teachers in Akwa South Local Government Area.
The Chairperson of the union in the
local government, Miss Buife Ndigwe, told NAN that primary and secondary
schools in the state would go on midterm break next week.
When contacted, the Public Relations
Officer of the state police command, Mr. Ralph Uzoigwe, said that the matter
had not been reported to the police, but promised that it would be investigated