A man who turned a school teacher and a sanitary worker into punching bags in a Lagos School will soon have his day in court.
Following the viral video of the attack relsead online on Sunday, and an exclusive report on the incident by the Punch newspaper, Ayofe Kolawole, 44, was charged to court on Tuesday for attacking the teacher, Mrs. Elizabeth Ogri, and the sanitary worker, Agnes Paul, in a classroom at the Rosebud School situated in the Idimu area of Lagos, on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
Kolawole was said to have descended on the teacher for beating one of his three children in the school.
The Public Relations Officer for the Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Police, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed Kolawole’s arraignment.
“44-year-old Ayofe Kolawole was arraigned this morning (Tuesday),” Hundeyin wrote on X.
Not only that, more trouble poured for Kolawole on Monday, as the management of Rosebud School expelled his three children from the school.
Public Relations Officer of the school, Vivian Shonekan, confirmed the expulsion of the three children.
“They (the parents) returned to apologise and expressed their regret, requesting a settlement,” Shonekan told the punch newspaper. “The school responded that there was no issue with settling but made it clear that their three children could not return. The school firmly decided that the children would not be readmitted.”
In the viral video, Kolawole could be seen assaulting Agnes Paul, a 34-year-old mother of four, inside a classroom. And as he was punching the lady, Mrs. Ogri could be seen in the video trying to protect the worker. But afraid that Kolawole was going to attack her, she quickly brought out her phone and started filming.
And when Kolawole realized he was being filmed, he went after the teacher in a desperate bid to stop her. The video went viral on Sunday, sparking public anger, with people calling for Kolawole’s arrest.
Though Lagos State Government prohibits beating or flogging of school children, the law also frowns at assault on any teacher or school worker, no matter the provocation.
Agnes Paul, the 34-year-old worker told the Punch how the sad episode unfolded that day.
“It was closing time,” she began, “and I had gone upstairs to clean the classroom. I was already sweeping when the man rushed upstairs, shouting and demanding to see his son. He kept yelling, ‘Where’s my son? Where’s my son?’ The teacher, Ogri, told him that the boy was downstairs.
“However, he kept asking angrily, over and over, so I told him again that the teacher said his son was downstairs. Suddenly, he began hitting and punching me before others intervened to stop him.
“Since then, I’ve been coughing at night and experiencing chest and body pain. The school has been covering my hospital bills, but I’m still not feeling any better. I need to return to the hospital for some tests.”
Elizabeth Ogri traced the genesis of the problem to Tuesday, October 8, 2024, when one of Kolawole’s three children started feeling unwell.
She said her initial response was to administer first aid to the boy by closing all the windows and turning off the fan in the classroom.
“Before the assault, he (Kolawole) arrived at the school claiming that I was trying to initiate his child with an unknown substance. He said that his son described the substance as black with particles. I explained that I had a whitlow on my fingernail, and a colleague suggested I apply kernel oil to the affected area. I then took the oil from my colleague and applied it to my hand.
“Shortly after that, the boy (name withheld) told me he was cold, despite the heavy rain that day. I had already closed the classroom windows, but he still felt chilly. I turned off the classroom fan, and the kernel oil was still on my fingernail. I held the boy and checked his temperature, trying to warm him up. I carried him, assuring him he would feel better, and touched him again to check his temperature.
“The parents came to the school, accusing me of wanting to initiate their child, claiming that such initiation was always done on the forehead and hands. They questioned why I was touching their child’s head.
“I explained to them that I only checked his body temperature because he complained of feeling cold. They demanded that I sign an undertaking stating that the kernel oil I used was not fetish and that it would not harm the boy. I was shocked, as I hadn’t poured the oil on him or rubbed it on his body.
“I told them I couldn’t sign any undertaking they had prepared. I documented what transpired, but they insisted that I sign their undertaking. Eventually, I agreed to sign it for the sake of peace. They then called the police, who arrested and detained me after he had beaten up the cleaner and attacked me. I am traumatised by the entire incident.”
The newspaper said its attempt at speaking to Kolawole on the incident was unsuccessful
