The police in Delta investigating the remote cause of the death of a secondary school Physic teacher, Mr. Sunday Ufuah, at Alihame Mixed Secondary School in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of Delta State, has said the deceased was not flogged by the suspect, but that Ufuah collapsed while attempting to mediate when Nweke was flogging the teacher that punished his son, Emmanuel.
Ufuah was said to have collapsed during school hours when an aggrieved parent stormed the school to avenge the punishment meted to his errant son for allegedly scaling the fence to steal palm wine. He was said to have passed away while being rushed to the hospital.
A version of the story has it that the aggrieved father, 44-year-old Nnajiofor Nweke, stormed the school with a cane in frantic search of the teacher that flogged his 12-year-old son, who was in JSS 1.
According to this version, the suspect, who hails from Enugu State, allegedly went berserk and was flogging every teacher he came across, including the late Ufuah, who collapsed afterwards.
However, the police said the deceased was not flogged by the suspect, adding that Ufuah collapsed while attempting to mediate when Nweke was flogging the teacher that punished his son, Emmanuel.
Parading the suspect in Asaba, police public relations officer in the state, Bright Edafe, said the suspect went “to the school premises aggressively in search of one of the school teachers over a punishment meted to his son at the school.
“The suspect, on sighting the said teacher, picked a cane in the school and started flogging him, during which another teacher, one Ufuah Sunday, while trying to mediate and stop him, slumped and was rushed to Central Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor.”
Meanwhile, the suspect said he was very pained by the unfortunate death of Ufuah, saying the deceased was playing the role of school father to his children.
Nweke, who denied flogging any teacher on the fateful day, however, stated that he was provoked by the comment of one of the teachers.
“I took my children to school because they flogged them. The man looking after my baby called me to tell me that they flogged my children. As I was about to leave, the deceased who was taking care of my baby, told me that the man who flogged my son was inside the class.
“When I entered the class, I asked what was my son’s offence. He said he went to the bush to drink palm wine. I said I would wait for the principal but then he provoked me by calling me a useless father who could not control my children.
“I collected the cane on the table to whip him but the other teachers restrained me, asking me to report to the principal. Then it was time for me to go for my business. I went out. It was later my daughter came to tell me that the uncle taking care of them collapsed and died. I rushed back. I was not there when he fell,” he said.
Following the death of Ufuah, the state government has re-assured teachers of their safety while on duty, and condemned the circumstances that led to the unfortunate demise.
Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, gave the assurance while addressing members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers in Ika South and Ika North-East councils after paying a condolence visit to the family of the deceased.
Ezewu, who was in company with the permanent secretary, Mr. Austin Oghoro, and top management staff of the ministry’s field office in the area, said Ufuah was a dedicated and God-fearing teacher.
She said the invasion of the school by the aggrieved father was an affront taken too far by a failed parent but would serve as a deterrent to parents against molesting teachers for reprimanding their wards for bad behaviour.
“The ministry of secondary education feels your pains in this moment of grief over the passing of your colleague whom I was reliably told was a calm, intelligent and dedicated teacher who impacted positively on the society.
“I share more in your grief because Mr. Ufuah was one of us in the teaching profession. How irresponsibility has so degenerated in our society to the extent that parents now invade schools to assault their children’s teachers for correcting them calls for concern.
“Whoever does not want their children to be taught good morals should keep them at home. Haven been a committed teacher who died while carrying out his duty, his children are hereby given scholarship, which will cover their secondary education,” she said.
Ezewu, promising assured the teachers and the family of the deceased that the state government under Sheriff Oborevwori would not condone attacks on teachers in the state.
Source: Sun Newspaper