ABEOKUTA– The Ogun state government has suspended indefinitely principals of Ilugun High School, Elega, Mrs Olukoga Adeyemi Alaba (Junior), and Mrs Ladipo Olabisi Temitope (Senior) over the death of a suspected student.
Reacting to a viral video, where students were seen vandalising school properties, Tuesday, the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, stated that the suspension became necessary owing to the roles played by the principals in the scenario.
Prof. Arigbabu added that it was discovered that the principal of the Junior school had been involved in the collection of illegal fees, an action that led to a protest by the students.
In the eschewing protest, security agents were invited to calm nerves, which subsequently led to a melee.
“We have all become aware of the unfortunate incident that took place at Ilugun High School (Junior), Elega. I stand before you this afternoon to confirm that, sadly, the incident did happen in the school.
“First, let me on behalf of the State Government express our deepest condolences to the parents and family of the deceased. We feel their pain and our prayers are with them at this difficult time.
“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, the OGSERA platform, which authenticates all school enrolments. This points to the likelihood of an illegal enrolment.
“In addition, we also discovered that the Principal of Ilugun High School (Junior) had been involved in the collection of illegal fees. In light of these findings, 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 in order to keep abreast of happenings in schools, a scheme called Whistle Blowers has been established by the government through the Teaching Service Commission to control illegalities, wrong doings and others.
“Let me assure the good people of Ogun State that the administration of His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON remains unshaken in its commitment to provide free education for every school-age child in this State, irrespective of where they live, their gender, economic status, religious belief, or political affiliation”, he said
.
