Emeka Nwogbo, a teacher at Arise and Shine Nursery and Primary School, Asaba who was arrested over allegations of beating a 19-month-old child, Obinna Udeze to death, has denied the allegation. During an interview with journalists on Tuesday, Nwogbo implied that there must be other underlying issues that killed Udeze as he claimed the child didn’t die while he was being punished.

 The teacher said he flogged the late Obinna as he ought to flog ’a baby’ and that the child was punished because he pushed another child.  He said, “I did not cane the child to death, I flogged him as I’m supposed to flog a child. I flogged him as little as I can, I did not kill the child. I am not responsible for his death. They should go and check this thing very well. I flogged the child because he pushed another child and hit the other child’s head.” 

Addressing journalists, the state police commissioner, Ari Muhammed Ali said a post mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death of the deceased child. He said, ”Post mortem examination will be carried out, to ascertain at least the cause of death.” The 19-month-old baby died after allegedly being given 31 strokes of the cane by the school owner, Mrs Ogbo, and her son, Emeka Nwogbo on Monday, February 7, 2022.  

The toddler had fallen into a coma after he was beaten while the beating left several marks on his body. The boy died five days later at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, the state capital. The state government has since shut the school.

The sad incident was made known by Ebenezer Omejalile, Chief Operating Officer of Advocates for Children and Vulnerable People’s Network, a human rights group. SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the baby, a pupil of Arise and Shine Nursery and Primary School, Asaba, Delta State, was given 31 strokes of the cane for playing with water and getting wet. 

The mother of the victim had said that the act was perpetrated by the school owner and her son, who tied the hands and legs of the baby before flogging him into a coma. The woman and her son, who were initially in police custody but released after reaching an agreement with the victim’s family, were rearrested on Saturday after the baby died.