Teachers arrested over death of 19-year-old student

The police in Kaduna State said they had arrested two suspects in connection with the death of a 19-year-old student of a private school in Kofar Kuyambana, Zaria, Marwanu Nuhu Sambo. He was alleged to have been killed by his teachers.

Confirming the incident, ASP Mansir Hassan said more suspects would likely be arrested. He said the commissioner of police in the state had ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and that they would charge the suspects in court immediately after that.

The JSS3 student was said to have lost his life as a result of severe beating and corporal punishment by teachers.

A sister to the deceased, Rukayya Sambo, told Daily Trust on Sunday that her late brother was asked to repeat class after a promotional examination, which he declined and stopped going to the school.

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“He was taken to the school by one of his uncles and handed over to the school principal, who vowed to punish him for absconding. It was after his uncle left the school that the teachers engaged Sambo in a serious beating, to the extent that they broke his tooth and later killed him,” she said.

She alleged that his brother’s classmates said he was given 100 lashes in the school assembly.

“He was later on taken to the principal, where he was stripped naked and they continued beating him till he no longer breathed. In fact, he attempted to run away but the school prefects were asked to apprehend and take him back to the principal’s office,” she further alleged.

An uncle of the deceased, Isa Sa’idu, said the incident happened on Friday at 9 a.m., but up to evening hours, the parents or relatives of the late student were not informed by the management of the school.

“We only heard rumours that our son was dead and had been taken to a nearby hospital, so we rushed to confirm. We met the medical officer that attended to the boy and he told us that he was brought to the hospital dead,’ he said.

However, a letter issued by the school’s management and circulated on social media dated October 21, 2023, confirmed the death of the student.

It read, “The management is deeply saddened by this heavy incident that led to the death of its student and pray almighty Allah to forgive the shortcoming of the deceased. Further, the officers that committed this act were suspended from the school forthwith and handed over to the Nigerian police for investigation and further action.”

The letter, however, announced the closure of the school till further notice.