Scanned Picture of Christabel Henry
A 16-year-old female SS3 student, Christabel Henry, of Government Girls Science Secondary School (GGSSS) in Kuje, FCT, was allegedly beaten by the teacher, Mr. David Yusuf, to a state of unconsciousness.
The incident, which occurred during a night prep session on Friday, at 10PM WAT, has sparked outrage and raised concerns about the safety and well-being of students in schools.
According to Mrs. Stella Henry, the victim’s mother, she received a distress call from fellow students informing her that her daughter had been admitted to Kuje General Hospital in a ‘coma’.
Mrs. Henry expressed her shock and dismay, stating that she was unaware of the incident and even so the school authorities took her daughter to the hospital who was unconscious for five hours without notifying her.
The “assault”
Narrating her daughter’s account of the incident, Mrs. Henry explained that the teacher, Mr. David, entered the classroom to charge his hair clipper. When a student made a noise, the teacher demanded the identification of the culprit. Failing to identify the student, Mr. David decided to punish the entire class. He ordered the students to kneel down and asked them to fetch a stick for him. However, when they couldn’t find a stick, he picked up an iron rod and struck a girl in front of Christabel.
“Startled, Christabel exclaimed, “Jesus Christ,” which angered the teacher. He lifted the iron rod to strike her on the head, but she managed to dodge, resulting in the rod hitting her shoulder instead. Undeterred, the teacher raised the rod again intending to hit her, but she instinctively reached out to grab it, causing a deep cut on her palm and injuring three fingers”
The situation escalated as the teacher continued to assault Christabel. He repeatedly slapped her face and struck her shoulder with the iron rod, causing her to hit her head on a chair and lose consciousness. Fellow students intervened to help her, but the teacher persisted in his violent behavior.
Students account
Witnesses, who preferred to remain anonymous, confirmed Christabel’s version of events, expressing their shock at the teacher’s extreme reaction.
They explained that Christabel had suggested punishing only the responsible student instead of the entire class, which infuriated the teacher and triggered the assault.
Mrs. Henry said she reported the matter to the Kuje Police Station, but the suspect, Mr. David Yusuf, managed to evade arrest, leading to the case being transferred to the FCT Police Command.
Principal evades interview
Efforts to reach the school principal, Mrs. Sabina Agbuedu, for comment were unsuccessful, with calls being answered by someone claiming it was a wrong number, though a search with an Identity App, revealed her name as the owner of the number.
An SMS sent to the number has also not been answered.
The FCT Police Command Public Relations Officer, Mrs. Josephine Adeh, confirmed that the case had been received and assured the public that an investigation is underway.
As of now, Christabel has regained consciousness but had to undergo a scan to assess the severity of her head injury, as recommended by the doctor.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and calls for stricter measures to ensure the safety and protection of students in schools.
Reporting by Julian Osamoto; Editing by Saadatu Albashir