One student has died and property was destroyed after violence erupted at Ilugun High School, Elega, in Abeokuta, Ogun State, over an alleged illegal fee collection by teachers.
Daily Trust gathered that trouble began last Friday when the school’s management invited operatives of the Amotekun Corps to disperse students protesting against fees they considered illegal.
According to witnesses, the arrival of the local security operatives caused students to scatter in different directions to avoid being apprehended.
In the process, some reportedly jumped into a river near the school, which led to the death of one student, witnesses said.
Three students were said to have jumped into the river. Two were rescued, while one, identified as Babalola, drowned. His body was reportedly recovered a day later and buried at the riverbank on Saturday.
Angered by the incident, aggrieved students returned to the school on Monday and reportedly went on a rampage.
They allegedly attacked teachers and vandalised school property.
A viral video that surfaced online showed them destroying property in broad daylight.
The clip captured groups of students hurling stones at classroom windows until the glass shattered.
In some cases, they went further by removing entire aluminium window frames, leaving the classrooms badly damaged.
Illegal fee controversy
In September 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun scrapped the payment of N3,700 levies in all public schools across Ogun State with immediate effect.
In recent weeks, however, Abiodun’s administration has faced heavy criticism over the levy issue. At a stakeholders’ forum themed ‘Repositioning Education for Outstanding Performance’, the governor clarified that his government did not introduce the fee but inherited it from the previous administration.
He explained that the levy originated as a proposal from the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA), which was later adopted by the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
According to him, suspending the payment became necessary in line with his promise of free, universal, and qualitative education in public primary and secondary schools.
‘I have been criticised in the media about the N3,700 PTA fee. I did not introduce the fee. It was proposed by the PTA and accepted by the previous administration. The fee negates the free education policy of this administration. It is like payment through the back door.
‘I hereby suspend the payment in all our schools. We will also look into the issue of principals and headmaster generals,’ he assured.
Abiodun further said his education team would critically review the items on the list that prompted the introduction of the levy, while promising to restore running costs to support the daily financial needs of schools.
Daily Trust, however, gathered that the government has not been consistent in releasing funds for public schools’ running costs, which has led many schools to impose levies on students.
At Ilugun High School, for instance, teachers were reported to have charged each student N7,500. The inability of many students to pay the amount reportedly triggered the crisis.
Principals suspended
The Ogun State Government has confirmed the incident but said only one person died.
The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, stated that the deceased could not be confirmed as a student of the school.
‘However, our preliminary investigations have revealed a very disturbing twist. The young man who lost his life could not be confirmed as a bona fide student of the school.
‘He was identified by three different names – Babalola Ayornide, Salako Jimoh, and Afolabi Babalola. Yet, none of these names appear in our official state education database, which authenticates all school enrolments. This points to the likelihood of an illegal enrolment,’ he explained.
Arigbabu also confirmed that teachers of the school had engaged in illegal fee collection, which triggered the protest.
He therefore announced the indefinite suspension of the school’s principals – Mrs. Olukoga Adeyemi Alaba (junior school) and Mrs. Ladipo Olabisi Temitope (senior school).
According to him, the suspension was necessary following their roles in the incident.
He said findings showed that the principal of the junior school was directly involved in the collection of illegal fees, which sparked the students’ protest.
‘In light of these findings, the government has decided to place both the junior and senior principals of Ilugun High School on suspension while we conduct a thorough investigation into the immediate and remote causes of this unfortunate incident.
‘Also, to keep abreast of happenings in schools, a scheme called WhistleBlowers has been established by the government through the Teaching Service Commission to check illegalities, wrongdoings, and other misconduct,’ he added.
The commissioner restated Governor Abiodun’s commitment to providing free education for every school-age child in the state, regardless of residence, gender, economic status, religious belief, or political affiliation.
He further urged students to desist from destroying school property.
‘We all know that we are still battling with inadequate infrastructure in our schools. Destroying the little we have will only worsen the situation, not improve it,’ he cautioned.
The State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Ogunlowo, also confirmed the incident, but noted that peace had been restored.
‘It’s a secondary school and the Ministry of Education is on top of the matter. They will tell us what they want us to do, but for now, our role is just to maintain peace in that school and ensure that no further damage is done to property,’ Ogunlowo told Daily Trust.
History of teachers’ assault by students
In 2021, some secondary school students in Ogun State launched serial assaults on their teachers – a development considered alien by many educationists – leaving teachers unsettled and fearful.
In November of that year alone, at least three cases were recorded in which students hired hoodlums to storm school premises and attack their teachers.
In some instances, the students themselves physically assaulted the teachers, sometimes in the company of their parents.
This disturbing trend was preceded by violent clashes among students from different schools.
In June 2021, for example, students of two public schools clashed after two of their colleagues reportedly died during a gambling competition.
Students from Baptist Boys’ High School, Saje, and Ilugun High School, Elega, engaged in a violent confrontation that lasted several hours.
Investigations across various secondary schools revealed that cultism, truancy, defiance of school authorities, and other acts of indiscipline had become rampant.
Teachers, in their bid to instil discipline, often incurred the wrath of unruly students – and, in some cases, their parents.
At Unity High School, Kajola Ibooro in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area, three teachers, including a nursing mother, were attacked by miscreants allegedly hired by students.
Similarly, at Community High School, Ijoun in Yewa North Local Government, students reportedly hired hoodlums to attack and chase their teachers away.
In response, the state government introduced a measure compelling parents of students in public secondary schools to sign undertakings on behalf of their wards, in an effort to curb unruly behaviour and restore order in schools.