A disturbing incident has unfolded at Complete Child Development College, Aule, Akure, Ondo State, where suspected thugs, allegedly hired by a parent, physically assaulted the Vice Principal, Rotifa, after he prevented their son from cheating during the ongoing West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
According to a preliminary report from the Ondo State Ministry of Education, the incident began on May 26 when Rotifa discovered that a Senior Secondary (SS) 3 student had an Android phone on him during the WAEC exam, which violated school rules. Rotifa promptly seized the phone to prevent the student from using it to cheat.
The report further revealed that the student’s mother visited the school the following day to confront the school management over the incident.
After a heated altercation, the school’s proprietor directed that the phone be returned to the mother, which was subsequently done.
However, matters escalated when the student’s brother, an alumnus of the school, arrived at the school to threaten the Vice Principal. He allegedly harassed Rotifa, promising to “deal with him.”
After school hours, the Vice Principal was informed that the student’s brother and others were seen loitering around the school premises.
Acting on advice from the school’s proprietor, Rotifa went to the police station with two officers to file a complaint. However, while returning from the station, the group of thugs ambushed the police van, halted it, and forcibly removed Rotifa. They proceeded to beat him up, leaving him injured.
The Vice Principal was rushed to the hospital for treatment and has since been discharged. However, according to the school principal, Rotifa has refrained from returning home due to fears that the thugs may come after him again.
The Ondo State Ministry of Education, led by the Director of Schools, has launched an investigation into the assault. The report stated that further efforts to apprehend the culprits are ongoing.