Tragedy at Ilugun High School: A Student Dies, Property Destroyed Amid Protests
A tragic incident unfolded at Ilugun High School in Elega, Abeokuta, Ogun State, when a student lost his life and school property was destroyed following violent clashes between students and teachers. The unrest was sparked by allegations of illegal fee collection by the school’s staff.
The Incident Unfolds
The trouble began last Friday when the school’s management invited operatives from the Amotekun Corps to disperse students who were protesting against what they considered to be an illegal fee. According to witnesses, the arrival of the security forces caused chaos as students scattered in different directions to avoid being apprehended.
In the process, some students reportedly jumped into a river near the school. One of them, identified as Babalola, drowned. His body was recovered the following day and later buried at the riverbank on Saturday.
Angered by the incident, students returned to the school on Monday and went on a rampage. They allegedly attacked teachers and vandalized school property. A viral video showed groups of students destroying property in broad daylight, including hurling stones at classroom windows until the glass shattered. In some cases, entire aluminium window frames were removed, leaving classrooms in disarray.
The Illegal Fee Controversy
The issue of fees has been a long-standing concern in Ogun State. In September 2019, Governor Dapo Abiodun announced the suspension of N3,700 levies in all public schools across the state with immediate effect. However, recent criticism has emerged over the continued imposition of such fees.
At a stakeholders’ forum themed “Repositioning Education for Outstanding Performance,” the governor clarified that his administration did not introduce the fee but inherited it from the previous administration. He explained that the levy originated as a proposal from the Parents Teachers’ Association (PTA), which was later adopted by the administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
Abiodun emphasized that suspending the payment was necessary in line with his promise of free, universal, and qualitative education in public primary and secondary schools. He assured that the government would look into the issue of principals and headmaster generals.
Despite these assurances, the government has faced challenges in consistently releasing funds for public schools’ running costs. This has led many schools to impose additional levies on students. At Ilugun High School, for instance, teachers reportedly charged each student N7,500, which many could not afford, triggering the crisis.
Principals Suspended
The Ogun State Government confirmed the incident but stated that only one person died. The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, noted that the deceased could not be confirmed as a student of the school. He mentioned that the young man had been identified by three different names, none of which appeared in the official state education database, suggesting possible illegal enrollment.
Arigbabu also confirmed that teachers at the school had engaged in illegal fee collection, which triggered the protest. As a result, the school’s principals—Mrs. Olukoga Adeyemi Alaba (junior school) and Mrs. Ladipo Olabisi Temitope (senior school)—were indefinitely suspended.
He explained that the junior school principal was directly involved in the collection of illegal fees, which sparked the students’ protest. The government has decided to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of the incident and has established a WhistleBlowers scheme to monitor misconduct in schools.
History of Violence Against Teachers
This is not the first time that students have turned against teachers in Ogun State. In 2021, secondary school students launched serial assaults on their teachers, leaving many unsettled and fearful. In November of that year alone, at least three cases were recorded where students hired hoodlums to storm school premises and attack their teachers.
Violent clashes among students from different schools had also occurred earlier that year. For example, students from Baptist Boys’ High School and Ilugun High School engaged in a violent confrontation after two of their colleagues died during a gambling competition.
Investigations revealed that cultism, truancy, defiance of school authorities, and other acts of indiscipline had become rampant. Teachers, in their bid to instil discipline, often incurred the wrath of unruly students and, in some cases, their parents.
At Unity High School, Kajola Ibooro, three teachers, including a nursing mother, were attacked by miscreants allegedly hired by students. Similarly, at Community High School, Ijoun, students reportedly hired hoodlums to attack and chase their teachers away.
In response, the state government introduced a measure compelling parents of students in public secondary schools to sign undertakings on behalf of their wards, in an effort to curb unruly behavior and restore order in schools.
