Girl, 12, Dies After Flogging By Teacher

Miss Chidimma Ukachukwu, a 12-year-old, JSS 1 student of a secondary school in Awka (name withheld) has died after she was allegedly flogged by her teacher for failing to do her home work.

A reliable source in the school told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka yesterday that the girl died on Thursday last week after the incident.

The source explained that the girl fainted after being flogged severally by a female teacher and was subsequently rushed to an undisclosed hospital, where she died.

The source also told the NAN that the Anambra Commissioner for Education, Mrs Uju Okeke, then ordered the closure of the school as a result of the incident.

A NAN correspondent, who visited the girls family home, soon after she was buried on Tuesday in Awka, reports that the family was in grief following the death of their daughter.

The girls father, Mr Siemon Ukachukwu, confirmed the death of his daughter to NAN and said that it was a sad development, but was an act of God.

But when Okeke was contacted she denied ordering the closure of the school and said that the school was on mid term break.

NAN investigation, however, revealed that schools in Anambra were not on mid term break.

This fact was collaborated by an official of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) in Akwa South Local Government of Anambra.

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 mid term break next week.

Also contacted for comments, 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.