Facebook Post: Angry Mum Drags Anambra School to Court over Daughter’s Expulsion

By Praise Chinecherem

Mrs Chika Omesi, has dragged the management of Mater Amabilis Secondary School, Umuoji, Anambra State over expulsion of her daughter over her controversial Facebook post.

Omesi, an indigene of Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, is protesting the expulsion of her 15-year old daughter, a Senior Secondary Two (SS II) student.

Omesi slammed a N10m lawsuit  against the manager of the school, Rev. Father Onwuchulum, for expelling the daughter from the school after allegedly subjecting her (daughter) to corporal punishment, including carrying blocks for about one week to a building site in the school compound.

Narrating her ordeal to newsmen before her Solicitors, Nkem C. Olisa & Co, Omesi said her daughter’s suspension and subsequent expulsion followed her drawing attention of school’s management to her daughter’s plight on the school’s Facebook wall.

She said, “Trouble started after my daughter alongside other 11 students of the school came back from competition tagged “Students for Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship” at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential library, Ogun State, some months back.

“The school came second and was again selected for another competition in Dubai. The trips to Ogun State and Dubai were sponsored by an NGO, called Bosslady Organisation based in Abuja because the school management refused to sponsor the students.

“The management of the school held a reception after the trips during which the school manager, Rev Fr. Francis Onwuchulum, in his speech, failed to acknowledge the efforts and magnanimity of the NGO who facilitated and sponsored the whole affair.

“It was when the students in their own speech duly acknowledged and thanked the NGO that they incurred the wrath of the school management and the manager thereafter started targeting the students of which my daughter was among for publicly acknowledging the NGO.

“As a punishment, the school manager forced the students to kneel down under the sun for the whole day. Next day, he asked them to carry thousands of concrete blocks to a construction site in the school for the whole day. 

“He also cancelled my daughter’s name listed as prefect and substituted it  with his niece.”

While accusing the school of exhibiting “irrational behaviour”, “high handedness” and “child abuse”, which, according to her are “unlawful” and contrary to the Child Rights Act, the visibly angry woman vowed to seek legal actions.

Omesi, through her Solicitors, served a notice of plans to sue State Government and State Secondary School Board at the expiration of three months of the notice dated 14/03/2023, at the State High Court, Ogidi. 

The reliefs claimed, among others, include: N10million damages for the unlawful acts of the defendant and a declaration that the suspension and further expulsion of the plaintiff without any lawful reason and justification is unlawful.

Furthermore, a declaration that the inhumane treatment of the punishment to kneel down for over eight hours on February 1, 2023 and punishment to carry building blocks of nine inches hollow type all day on February 2, 2023 without any lawful justification is unlawful and contrary to the child rights Act.

Contacted, the School manager, Onwuchulum said, “I won’t make any official statement on this issue. Speak with the Onitsha Archdiocesan Education Secretary. 

“I have long handed over the case to him and he has the “true account” of what happened.”