The management of Aces School in Abuja, where an outraged father assaulted a teacher and nursing mother for disciplining his child, has asked both parties to apologise.
This was disclosed in a statement signed by the founder and chairman of the school, Dr. Aminu Kani, and made available to TheGuardian.
According to the statement, while the father, Muhammad Jimeta, took the law into his own hands by assaulting the teacher and nursing mother, it equally maintained that “beating the child by the teacher is an assault, an act against the School Rules adequately captured in our PTA Meeting of December 2, 2023.”
Dr. Kani, who expressed shock that the teacher, Sekinat Adedeji, was absent at that meeting, stressed that ignorance is not an excuse.
“The summary of the case is that both the teacher and the parent committed infractions against the school rules, and two wrongs don’t make a right.
“They were both cautioned and requested to apologise to the school, keep peace, and guard against the future.
“We await the parties to comply,” the statement read.
In a chat with TheGuardian, the Chairman revealed that both parties remain suspended pending their unreserved apologies to the school.
He said they were given a fair hearing, as both parties attended the meeting to state their side of the matter, adding that while no timeframe was given for the apologies, they are expected to do so by Monday, June 10, 2024.
“If they don’t comply, the School will take the next step. We wait to see. So far, the two parties stand suspended,” he informed our correspondent in a text message.
On May 30, 2024, *The Guardian* reported that pandemonium had broken out at Aces Nursery, Primary, and Secondary School, Area 2, Garki, Abuja, when an outraged father invaded the institution and assaulted a nursing mother and teacher for disciplining his child.
The incident, which sent shockwaves through the school, took place on Tuesday, May 29, 2024.
Recounting her ordeal, the teacher said she was holding her three-month-old baby when her pupil’s father assaulted her.
According to her, she teaches the female pupil, Karima Muhammad Jimeta, in Basic Three.
She said: “It happened around 12:30 pm on May 29, 2024, when I used a ruler on her leg when she and others were disturbing and were asked to kneel down.
“She gave me ‘wanka’, that was why I beat her on the leg with a small ruler.”
Pronounced as “uwarka” in Hausa, literally meaning ‘Your Mother,’ it is an abusive word used by stretching out one’s five fingers towards a person.
Adedeji continued, “The father slapped me four times close to 4 pm because school closes at 3 pm. His daughter reported what happened at 12:30 pm to him at the close of school when he came to pick her up.
“The child is not serious with her studies and insults teachers that come to the class.”
Another parent who witnessed the incident, Magdalene Ukuedojor, alleged that the female pupil has a habit of insulting everyone, stressing that the father had no justification to lay hands on a nursing mother and teacher of his child.
In a swift reaction, the pupil’s father accused the teacher of bullying his daughter.
Jimeta, who said he is a senior citizen and retired as a teacher with over two decades of experience, accused the teacher of giving his child corporal punishment for committing a minor offense.
“She is not telling you the truth. This woman has been beating that child for such a long time. The last time she beat her, I talked to the school management and they calmed me down. But she was shouting at me and I didn’t talk to her,” he said.
