FATHER FLOGS TEACHER TO DEATH IN AGBOR FOR DISCIPLINING SON
-Commissioner for Education Condemns Attack
By Patrick Gbuchanye
Academic activities have been grounded at Alihami Mixed Secondary School, Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area, Delta State as a teacher, Mr. Sunday Onyisi Ufuah was allegedly flogged to death by a parent whose name is Nnajiofor Nweke (A.K.A. Walter), from Enugu State.
The ugly incident occurred on Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, during the morning assembly. It was gathered that some students of Alihami Mixed Secondary School allegedly scaled the school’s fence and stole and drank palm wine at a shop outside the school premises and the school authority was alerted on the development, and the students were identified and disciplinary action was taken against them.
The son of Mr. Nweke, a JSS 1 student who was among those who were disciplined for palm wine theft got home to inform his father that he was flogged by their teacher. The angry Nweke was said to have stormed the school the next morning while on the assembly ground with a cane and started flogging some of the teachers identified by his son as those who flogged him. Mr. Ufah is said to be one of those Mr. Nweke flogged and was said to have slumped and was confirmed dead some minutes after he was rushed to Central Hospital, Agbor.
In reaction to Ufah’s death, teachers in Ika nation staged a protest on Thursday, October 19, 2023, against the death of their colleague to condemn the act of parents attacking teachers for disciplining their children.
Meanwhile, the State Commissioner for Secondary Education, Mrs. Rose Ezewu, while addressing the teachers during the protest condemned the attack, describing it as an affrontery taken too far by a failed parent
Mrs. Ezewu who paid a condolence visit to the family of the late teacher at his Boji-Boji, Owa residence, said the State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori will not condone attacks on teachers in the State.
She assured that the state government would act within the confines of the law to make sure that the family of Mr Sunday Ufuah gets justice.
The commissioner said: “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 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. Having been a committed teacher who died while carrying out his duty, his children are hereby given scholarships that will cover their secondary education”, Mrs. Ezewu pronounced.
Also the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Secondary Education, Mr. Austine Oghoro said it would have been a memorable day if the teachers had gathered to celebrate an award program but said it is unfortunate that they lost a teacher of a special class to attack from a rude and uncivilized parent.
He warned all communities to ensure that the sad incident should never happen again, as he charged everyone present to take the warning message back to their various communities.
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No teacher, no nation. We need to show teachers love and care, and give them the uttermost respect that they deserve to perform their duties without being intimidated.
Mr Oghoro urged the teachers and late Mr Sunday Onyisi Ufah’s family to console themselves with the scripture in Matthew 5:4, that the great loss is irreparable, and irreplaceable as they can’t bring him back to life. Whatever effort that we need to make to move forward, God and the Government will see to it that our teachers are protected from the uncivilized interference of some parents. He enjoined the teachers to go back to work as they have registered their grievances so that innocent students will not suffer unduly.
However, Comrade Isaac Arimokwu NUT Chairman Ika South chapter, and his counterpart in Ika North East Comrade Clement O. condemned the unreasonable act of a parent who attacked and killed an outstanding physics teacher who has earned so many best teacher awards from the state, local Government and from the Peterson Foundation Award.
“Teachers should be protected. Don’t fight us to kill us. The primary and secondary schools need able-bodied security men and the gatemen are not enough because most of them are old. Honourable commissioner to help teachers in the state to enact a law to prevent parents from interfering with the affairs of teachers in the schools, Comrade Arimokwu appealed
They appreciated the Honourable commissioner and the state government for the scholarships given to the late teacher’s children from primary to secondary education level as they appealed to the government to push the scholarships to the University level as their departed colleague was the breadwinner of his family.