24 strokes of cane: Lagos govt seals school over flogging of 2-year-old pupil

The Lagos State Government has sealed Unic Vilos Montessori School, Maza Maza, over the flogging of two-year-old, Cherish Ohamadike, by her teacher, Miss Joy Igile, who inflicted marks on her back.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Education, Folashade Adefisayo, told Channels Television that the case is within the context of informal education because the victim is a toddler.

According to her,  since the school is located within an elementary school, the ministry ordered the closure after confirming the story. She also said that Unic Vilos Montessori School operates without approval, adding that the Lagos State Government is working to clamp down on such centres of learning.

The victim’s mother, Faustina Ohamadike, told Channels Television that she was initially weary of taking up the case. She, however, said when the perpetrator threatened her, she decided to share her daughter’s story online.

Cherish’s family lives in the same premises as the proprietress and the teacher who allegedly gave 24 strokes of the cane. The school where the incident happened is just opposite their house.

The victim’s parents confirmed that a combined team of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Domestic Violence and Response Unit, and the Ministry of Youths and Social Development, arrested the teacher and proprietress on Monday. While the proprietress was released earlier in the week, the teacher is still in detention.

The recent development further adds to the growing cases of caregivers’ maltreatment of school children, a development that has raised concerns about the criteria for teachers who take care of toddlers.

While Cherish’s family is demanding justice, the outcome of the prosecution of the alleged perpetrator, whose case has now been charged to court, is expected to serve as a deterrent to teachers and caregivers with similar tendencies. (Adapted from a Channels TV report)