School Teacher Flogs Pupil, 12, To Death

Miss Chidimma Ukachukwu, a 12-year-old pupil
of a secondary school in Awka, Anambra State,
has died after she was allegedly flogged by her
teacher for failing to do her homework.
According to a reliable source of the News
Agency of Nigeria in Awka, the girl died on
Thursday last week after she was flogged.
The source further explained that the girl after
being severely flogged by a female teacher, lost
consciousness and was immediately rushed to
an undisclosed hospital, where she died.
This led to a closure of the school by the state’s
Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Uju Okeke.
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 however added that it was an
act of God.
But when contacted, Mrs. Okeke denied the
closure of the school was as a result of the
incident and said that the school was on mid-
term 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.