The Ogun State Police Command has arrested a student-teacher accused of causing an 11-year-old pupil to lose her right eye.
The victim, Alao Idera, is a Primary Six pupil at Owiwi Nursery and Primary School in the Obada Oko area of the state.
Reports indicate that the teacher, Adeola Adeyemo, is a 400-level student at Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode, undergoing a teaching practice program at the school.
This incident follows a case in October where Monday Arijo, an SS2 student at Obada Grammar School, died after being subjected to 24 strokes of the cane and 162 frog jumps, allegedly by a teacher, Azamdjo Elijah.
In response to the incident, the teacher was arrested, and the state government ordered the closure of the school.
Speaking to a reporter on Tuesday, police spokesperson Omolola Odutola confirmed that Adeyemo was reportedly holding a cane in the classroom when the Primary Six pupil ran toward her, causing the cane to accidentally pierce her right eye.
Odutola revealed that the injured eye was surgically removed after the pupil was taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, for treatment.
She explained, “The child was immediately taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta for treatment.”
Following the incident, the teacher, Adeola Adeyemo, a 400-level student from Tai Solarin University in Ijebu Ode undergoing teaching practice, was promptly arrested and is currently being questioned.
Odutola emphasized that, unlike the case involving Arijo, the teacher did not flog the pupil, nor was the pupil at fault.
“It was merely an accident,” she clarified. “The teacher was holding a cane while preparing for an end-of-year party, as teachers often do.”
However, as the pupil rushed toward her, the cane accidentally injured the child’s eye.
“The 11-year-old Primary Six pupil underwent surgery at the Federal Medical Centre, where her right eye had to be removed,” Odutola stated.
She added that upon learning of the pupil’s loss of her eye, the teacher attempted suicide but was quickly taken to the hospital, where she is now in stable condition.
