A pro-democracy group, Take It Back,TIB, Monday, urged the Delta Women Affairs Commissioner to Conduct Child Assessment Procedure for All Children at Erhimu Secondary School Abraka, Ethiope-East Local Government Area.
This was contained in a statement signed by TIB Delta State Coordinator, Comrade Ighorhiowhunu Aghogho.
“By this statement,we are through carefulness and thoughtfulness rebuking the unethical conduct of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Rose Ezewu of unlawfully administering over the unhealthy behaviors of children in both private and public schools without recourse to the Ministry for Women Affairs and Social Development legally known as the ministry in charge of children in the state,” the stated said.
It will be recalled that the Delta State Police Command has declared wanted one Michael Ogbeife, an SS3 student of Erhimu Secondary School, Abraka in the State, for beating a teacher of the school, Joseph Ossai, to death.
Michael was reported to be on the run after perpetrating the criminal act thereby causing the death of Joseph Ossai.
It was reported, the deceased teacher, who was said to be in charge of Agricultural Science and Biology in the school until his demise, had reportedly flogged Michael’s younger sister, Miss Promise Ogbeife who was involved in a dispute with her classmate.
“We reliably gathered that Michael had on that fateful day engaged the teacher in a brawl that resulted in the teacher giving up the ghost during the fight.
“Michael, who was reported to be exasperated and maddened by the teacher’s decision to flog his sister and the angry SS3 student, resorted to a physical combat with the teacher.
“It was reported that Michael angrily left the school’s premises after his sister was flogged, and later returned back, heading straight to the staff room for a showdown with the teacher with the charm he initially rushed home to get before engaging the teacher in the fight.
“The crux of the matter is that, whether from the tragedy publicized at Erhimu Secondary School Abraka, one can infer that the same or similar scenario occurs on a regular basis in both private and public secondary schools in Delta State? Or whether there are deviant children in both private and public schools of the State?
“Deviancy from a sociological perspective is a behavior that varies too wide from the average behaviors of the people of a given society. It described an action or behaviours that violates social norms, including former enacted rules(crime).
“It is horrendous and appalling that Michael allegedly committed one of the most unspeakable crime in a school premises as a child and this did not move the Delta Basic and Secondary Commissioner, Rose Ezewu, to issue out a public statement condemning the act but rather she chose to remain silent on the face of a provocative evil.
“At TIB, we are not surprised because the ministry of basic and secondary education in the state has been known to be producing and associating with all forms of negative characters at the detriment of children in the state.
“The worst part of it is that the ministry of basic and secondary education has been meddling into schedules not legally meant for them. The operations of the ministry of basic and secondary education is limited to education of children only and not meddling into welfare of children in the state.
“There are cases of children beyond both school and parental control being expelled from one school and getting admitted into another.
“We have repeatedly asked, what right does the Ministry of basic and secondary education possess to expel children from school based on alleged deviant behavior without approval from the Ministry of women affairs?
“It is our inference that the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has constituted itself as the Police, Ministry in charge of children and the Family court in taking decisions on the welfare of children in the state.
“In 2018, 28 suspected teenage cultists operating in some public secondary schools in Asaba, the Delta State Capital were arrested by the State Police Command.
“The Delta State Police Commissioner, CP Zanna Ibrahim (as he then was) who disclosed the news said the teenage secret cult group known as the Future Trigger Boys, comprise of 28 suspects, out of which 10 were students from Osadenis Grammar School Asaba.
“The suspected cultists, aged between 13 and 16years, were rounded up during school hours, following intelligence reports from members of the public,” Zanna said.
“These are children who were sent to school to study but regrettably, most of them were forcefully initiated into cultism under the supervision of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education. The female children are not left out, as majority of them are now professional prostitutes while as children.
“In 2020, there was anguish in Uvwie and Okpe local government areas of Delta State after it was discovered that several schoolgirls have been trafficked allegedly by a female member of a trafficking syndicate without the consent of their parents.
“Peculiar (surname withheld), a 15-year old senior secondary school student of Ugbomro Secondary School was among the 25 school girls who fell victims to the syndicate.
“Enough is enough, on these grounds, we hereby call on Flora Alantan, the Delta Women Affairs Commissioner representing the state government to apply to the Family Court of Delta State for a child assessment Order with respect to all the children at Erhimu Secondary School in order to avoid future occurrence of this tragedy.”
Conduct child assessment on children of Erhimu Secondary School – Group urges Delta govt
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