In a not too long distant past, teachers were treated as heroes. They were respected by their students and their parents, who would entrust the mentorship of the children into the teacher’s hands.
But all that is now history. Teachers in Ogun secondary schools now live in fear of possible attack by their students and parents who have embraced the habit of hiring thugs to beat them up.
Across various secondary schools in Ogun State, truancy, lateness, disobedience to school authorities and other acts of indiscipline have become the ‘new trend’.
Unfortunately, teachers who used to check the excesses of these pupils are now mindful of what might befall them should they punish a student for any unruly behaviour.
In several cases, the students organise themselves to assault their teachers for punishing them for their acts of indiscipline, thereby leaving them with varying degrees of injuries.
In October alone, no fewer than four cases of attacks on schools have taken place in different public schools in the state.
On October 12, the police arrested a 35-year-old father, one Abidemi Oluwaseun, who invaded the Baptist Girls College Idi-Aba, Abeokuta Ogun State, with thugs to attack a teacher, whom he accused of beating his 15-year-old daughter.
The teacher had flogged Oluwaseun’s daughter and others for disturbing his class, mocking him and distracting other students.
Aggrieved, the father hired two others, Fayesele Olabanji (25 years) and Alebiosu Quawiyu (24 years). They stormed the school with an unregistered vehicle, armed with a cutlass and threatening to hack down the teacher.
When they were arrested by the DPO of Kemta division, CSP Opebiyi Sunday, Oluwaseun confirmed hiring the other two men to teach the teacher who beat his daughter a lesson of his life.
Similarly, in Unity High School, Kajola Ibooro, Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, three teachers, including a nursing mother were attacked by miscreants, who were reportedly hired by some students to unleash mayhem on them.
The nursing mother, Mrs Oyadoke, who reportedly went through a caesarian session 10 months ago, was attacked when she tried to caution an aunt of a student, who was having an altercation with the Principal.
According to a report by one Olufemi Ayannuga of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS) press crew, the aunt, who was infuriated with Mrs Oyadoke’s interference to the brawl between her and the Principal, rushed out to hire thugs, who reportedly dragged the nursing mother on the floor, while inflicting injuries on her body through serious beating.
The case is before the Ado-Odo Magistrates Court, it was learnt.
The latest incident happened on Monday, when students of Community High School, Ijoun, in Yewa North Local Government, allegedly hired hoodlums to attack and send their teachers away from the school.
It was gathered that the hoodlums stormed the school premises at about 10.45am and freely used weapons, such as machetes and axes on two victims, Stephen Oyelekan and Kayode Olatunji.
The Ogun State police command said four students had been arrested in connection with the ugly incident.
In the same vein, an elderly Mathematics teacher, identified as Mr Owolabi at Comprehensive High School, Itori, was beaten up by an SSS 3 student on Tuesday.
It was reported that the Mathematics teacher was teaching SSS 1 students when the ‘attacker’ rudely burst into his class and started beating a girl.
As Owolabi attempted to stop the boy from maltreating the girl who was in his class at the time, the SSS 3 student “descended heavily on the innocent teacher, beat him mercilessly with heavy blows,” a source disclosed.
The unruly student was reportedly apprehended by the police and operatives of Amotekun corps were deployed to the school as teachers panicked that his gang members in the school may attack them.
Findings have revealed that some of the secondary school students are now members of various cult groups.
Aside from cultism, teachers who spoke with our correspondent anonymously explained that some boys are into internet fraud, otherwise known as ‘Yahoo-Yahoo’.
“The moment they start doing Yahoo-Yahoo or when they join cult groups, they become so unruly that nobody can talk to them or scold them. Many of them are already smoking and drinking. That’s why teachers are now being careful to avoid being attacked by their own students,” a teacher who pleaded anonimity said.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government said that steps are being taken to address the matter.
Education Commissioner, Professor Abayomi Arigbabu, said the government had arrested those behind the various attacks, adding that they were handed over to the police.
“We are taking action on it. We are working on it. Those that were involved in the attacks were arrested and handed over to the police,” he replied briefly on the phone.
Also, the Ogun State police command said the repeated attack on teachers was becoming worrisome, stating, however, that “those that were caught have been arraigned in court and we would not relent until that nonsense will stop.”
Police spokesperson in the State, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said that “Anybody that is caught, we will make sure that he/she faces the full wrath of the law.”
Oyeyemi said: “Those that perpetrated that act in Ibooro have been arrested and arraigned in court. The one that happened in Baptist College, the three of them have been arrested and charged to court. Those that carried out the one in Ijoun, the four of them have also been arrested and they will have their days in court. We won’t beg them not to do it, but when they do it they should be ready for the consequences.
“We’ve always been assuring the teachers of their safety. When such things happen, they should let us know. Because some people are just hellbent on causing confusion and making things difficult. I don’t see any reason why a reasonable human being will go and beat a teacher who is only doing his or her duty. Teachers are the builders of the society. Once you demoralize them or you don’t allow them to instill the necessary discipline in those young ones, then the society is doomed. So we would not allow it.”
The police image maker blamed parents for the heartbreaking development in schools.
“Lack of discipline among the parents is the cause of this ugly trend in Ogun State. If a parent is disciplined, he won’t follow your son or daughter to school because he was punished for beating a teacher. It’s because the parents are not disciplined. Most of the parents that are disciplined won’t do that. That’s just the simple thing about it.”
He added that some parents also encourage their children to join cultism.
“I made an example some time ago, when a parent, a father, celebrated that his son is now the Number One of Aiye cult in Itori; and he threw a party for that. The parents are making the children believe that cultism is a good thing,” Oyeyemi expressed concern.
