A 400-level student of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijebu Ode, Adéọlá Adeyemo has been arrested for allegedly injuring the right eye of Alao Idera, an 11-year-old pupil of Owiwi Nursery and Primary School in Obada Oko, Ogun State.
Adeyemo then allegedly attempted to commit suicide.
According to the state Police Command, Adeyemo had been arrested following an incident at the school around 3 p.m., during which a pupil lost her right eye shortly after being taken to the hospital.
According to PUNCH Online, the command’s spokesperson, Superintendent Omolola Odutola, said on Tuesday that Adeyemo was at the nursery and primary school to undergo her teaching practice programme.
She was allegedly holding a cane in the classroom when the victim rushed toward her, causing the stick to pierce the pupil’s eye.
The primary six pupil was reportedly rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Idi-Aba, Abeokuta, for treatment, where the injured eye was surgically removed.
Odutola said: “The child was immediately taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta for treatment. Following this complaint, the teacher, Adeola Adeyemo, a 400-level student from Tai Solarin University in Ijebu Ode who was on teaching practice, was swiftly arrested and is currently being interrogated.
“The teacher did not flog the student, nor did the student do anything wrong. It was simply a situation where the teacher, preparing for an end-of-year party, was holding a cane, as teachers often do.
“However, when the student rushed toward her, the cane accidentally caused injury to the student’s eye. The 11-year-old primary six student underwent surgery at the Federal Medical Centre, where her right eye was removed”.
Odutola added that the suspect had attempted to take her life after hearing the news that the pupil’s right eye had been removed by doctors before she was arrested by the police.
“Upon learning about the incident involving her pupil, student-teacher Adeyemo Adeola reportedly attempted to ingest harmful substances.
“However, the police intervened and quickly rushed her to the hospital, where she is now stable”, Odutola added.
This is the second incident involving a teacher and a student in the state. A teacher at Obada Grammar School, Azamdjo Elijah, was also arrested by the police following the death of Senior Secondary School 2 student, Monday Arijo.
Elijah was accused of instructing the deceased to perform 162 frog jumps and administering 24 strokes of the cane, which allegedly led to the student’s death.
