There was pandemonium on Monday morning at Silver Bird International School at Agip, Mile 4,PortHarcourt when family of a J.S.S.1 student simply identified as Favour allegedly flogged a female teacher Sonia Amadi mercilessly and later invaded the school where they locked up the Admin officer, Joy Ajayi inside her office threatening to beat her up too after claiming that their child was flogged inappropriately by the teacher.
We learnt that it took the intervention of other parents to prevent the family who had physically assaulted the female teacher from beating up the Admin officer.
In an interview with Journalists the Admin Officer Joy Ajayi said ” this morning I was in my office when a group of boys, three boys matched into my office locked my office door and said they wanted to flog me and one was about to flog me, there is a scissor we use in doing school work, the other one carried the scissor that he want to stab me, that why should they flog his brother in this school.
“All the teachers came out that there is no need for them to take this thing to that extent, they refused to open the door. There was a parent inside here with me, we were resolving an issue .So the parent has to start begging them that they should calm down. They were here for more than 15, 20 minutes, my teachers were outside trying to get inside but my teachers could not get inside.
“They were saying they will flog me, we should go and call Police, we should go and call lawyer .I now said I have a right to defend myself, allow me to defend myself .As I was talking, that is when their father now came, and said they should open the door. They opened the door, The father now said he want to carry his family and go that he will come back later.
“Before they came to my office and locked me up, a teacher was being flogged on the road as she was coming to school, my English Teacher, by name Sonia Amadi .They flogged her seriously, she is in the office I have to tell her to calm down. The mother of the boy also slapped her as she was coming to school.
“The same people who came to my office had already accosted my teacher and flogged her seriously, as she was entering the gate they followed her and matched straight to my office”.
When contacted, the mother of the student dropped the call after our reporter introduced the incident and himself as Journalist.
The mother of the J.S.S.1 Student was yet to respond to text and WhatsApp messages sent to her which from network response has been delivered to her.
Meanwhile the School Management has lodged a formal complainant at Ada George Police Division where the teacher was issued medical form to proceed to clinic for treatment .
In the meantime, National Coordinator of Centre for Basic Rights Protection And Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro has condemned the alleged assault on the female teacher and invasion of the school by the student’s family
Wiro stated that the parents of the student should have reported to the Ministry of Education if they felt their child was treated inappropriately or the Police in case of physical assault rather than taking laws into their hand .
The Rights Advocate called on the Police to ensure a thorough investigation into the incident and anybody found culpable should be made to face the law.