The Ogun State government has suspended the principals of both the junior and senior sections of Ilugun High School in Elega, Abeokuta, following the death of a student during a protest on school grounds.
At a press conference in Abeokuta, Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, announced that the suspension would remain in place while a thorough investigation is carried out.
According to Arigbabu, initial findings revealed that the junior school principal, Mrs. Alaba Olukoga, was involved in the unauthorized collection of fees, which allegedly sparked the student protest. In response to the unrest, local security personnel were called in, and during the chaos, a student attempting to flee jumped over a fence into a nearby river and died.
Although the senior school principal, Mrs. Temitope Ladipo, was not directly linked to the incident, Arigbabu explained that her suspension was necessary to maintain fairness and ensure a transparent investigative process.
The Commissioner expressed the government’s condolences to the student’s family, describing the loss as painful and irreparable. He assured that anyone found culpable would face the full weight of the law.
Arigbabu urged students to remain calm and avoid vandalism, warning that destroying school property would only worsen the problem of inadequate infrastructure.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing free and quality education across the state and said the findings of the investigation would be made public once concluded.
