A one year seven months old baby simply identified as Obinna has reportedly died after falling into coma resulting from 31 strokes of cane he received from his school’s owner, Mrs Ogbo, and her son.
The sad incident was made known by Ebenezer Omejalile, Chief Operating Officer of Advocates for Children and Vulnerable People’s Network, a human rights group.
The said pupil of Arise and Shine Nursery and Primary School, Asaba, Delta State, was given 31 strokes of cane for playing with water and getting wet.
The mother of the victim had said that the act was perpetrated by the school owner and her son, who tied the hands and legs of the baby before flogging him into coma.
The woman and her son, who were initially in police custody but released due to agreement with the victim’s family, were rearrested on Saturday after the baby died.
Reacting to the incident, a proprietor in the state under conditions of anonymity, said: “Can you believe this; Can this be true? The world is turned upside down. Unfortunately, it is painfully true….The school, however is not a member of NAPPS. Maybe one of the illegal school owners. Some so called school owners are agents of darkness. No wonder such persons do not want to associate with others. God save our children