Ogun govt kicks as students hire thugs to beat up teachers

The Ogun State Government has threatened to expel unruly students following serial attacks and beating of Secondary School teachers by their students in some part of the state.

On Monday, some hoodlums reportedly hired by students invaded Community High School, Ijoun in Yewa North Local Government Area, pummelled teachers and chased them away.

At least two teachers reportedly sustained injuries during the attacks.

The incident happened one week after students of Unity High School, Kajola, Ibooro, in the same local government, reportedly contracted thugs to also beat up their teachers.

And on Tuesday, another teacher of Itori Comprehensive High School in Ewekoro, was beaten to stupor by students.

The mathematics teacher, simply identified as Owolabi, was reportedly beaten by one of his students for asking him to stop beating a girl while he was teaching a class.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred on Tuesday when the student, a Senior Secondary School 3 strolled into the class and descended on a girl who was in the class.

An eye witness told our correspondent that the victim was teaching SS1 students of the school when suddenly the male student rudely entered the class and started beating a girl mercilessly .

The source said “The teacher told the boy to desist from beating the girl then, the boy descended heavily on the innocent teacher beating him mercilessly with heavy blows.”

Apparently speaking on the serial attacks, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof Abayomi Arigbabu, on Wednesday
declared that erring students would be expelled and prosecuted along with their accomplices.

Arigbabu gave this warning in Abeokuta while addressing management and Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) across the state.

The Commissioner, who stated that government would continue to frown at such acts of indiscipline, revealed that those that were caught previously have been arrested and charged to court accordingly.

He said his ministry would collaborate with law enforcement agencies such as the Police, Nigeria Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), So-Safe Corps and others to ensure that normalcy is restored in schools.

“The Governor is really worried about the unruly trend of hoodlums coming into our schools to beat up our teachers, and he has frowned at such act of indiscipline, therefore any students caught in this act would be made to face the full wrath of the law alongside their accomplices.”

“Ogun state is known for being home of respectable and responsible citizens and we will not allow any act that would tarnish our image”, the commissioner warned.

Speaking further, Arigbabu pledged that his Ministry would look into the immediate and remote causes of the unruly behaviour and find ways to tackle it, admonishing teachers to give a good account of themselves at all times.