The Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, has expressed profound sorrow over the death of Master Henry Okonkwo, a pupil at Landmark International School, Mgbakwu in Awka North Local Government Area. The eight-year-old boy reportedly fell into a coma after being brutally beaten by a teacher and passed away in the early hours of Wednesday.
Our correspondent learned that the 30-year-old teacher, Faith Nwoye, was arrested on Monday for allegedly flogging Okonkwo into a coma. Nwoye had been summoned by Chuma-Udeh to explain the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Chuma-Udeh lamented the tragedy, noting that medical professionals had given the boy only a 20 percent chance of survival. She also condemned the school for operating illegally, emphasizing the dual crimes of running an unauthorized institution and subjecting a child to such brutal punishment.
The commissioner warned that individuals responsible for such actions would face severe consequences. Nwoye was invited along with the school’s proprietor, Mrs. Promise Ilo, to address the situation. Nwoye admitted to flogging the child but claimed the beating was not as severe as reported.
The matter has been handed over to the police for further investigation. Despite being in the intensive care unit of the hospital, Okonkwo succumbed to his injuries early Wednesday, May 23, 2024.
In a heartfelt post on her verified Facebook page on Thursday, Chuma-Udeh mourned the loss of the young boy, highlighting his potential and the tragic end he met. She wrote, “He was a boy like any other, with hopes and aspirations. He went to school for a better future but met a gruesome death at the hands of the people who were supposed to help him achieve his life ambition. A quack teacher in an illegal school bludgeoned him to death. We mourn a life nipped in the bud! We mourn Henry Chukwuemeka Okonkwo! We mourn and we seek justice!”
