An SSS 2 female student of Government Girls Arabic Secondary School Fago, Sandamu Local Government Area of Katsina State, Fatima Tasi’u has reportedly breathed her last after she was flogged by her Mathematics teacher, Abubakar Suleiman.
The school authorities had called her father when she fell sick from the beatings on Thursday 13th February but was not told she was beaten mercilessly by her teacher
Narrating the incidence, Fatima Tasi’u’s father Malam Tasi’u Maikano reportedly disclosed that he had visited the school with some relatives and on getting there, he was told his daughter’s health condition worsened when she fell down after an evening bath. He was also told that she might have been hit by evil spirits.
The father then decided not to take her back to the state capital for medical care which he had earlier planned and took her to Daura General Hospital which was less than 15 minutes drive from the school. No sooner had they arrived, than the doctor on duty confirmed her dead.
Maikano counted his loss and took his daughter’s remains home for her burial only to find out four days after her burial that she had fallen sick from the beatings she received. According to reports, he had asked for his late daughter’s school bag and books and while going through them, he came across her personal diary.
In the last page, late Fatima Tasi’u had written in Hausa “Allah Sarki ranar Alhamis munzo firef akaci miyi lilin muka yi malam Abu sikitu ya bugimu har ya fasni ko ma goshi banda lafia ina masassara da ciwon baya kamar na mutu“, which translates in English as “God is great. On Thursday at prep, we were asked to kneel down. Abu Sikiti beat us and I got wounded, I’m down with fever and my back aches like I’m dying.”
“When I came across this note, I became confused and called the vice principal and told him about it. When I didn’t hear from him after 15 minutes, I decided to go to the school with some of my relatives. He later called but I refused to pick it until we got to the school. On our way to the school, one of Fatima’s friends called me to find out how she was doing and I told her she’s dead. I heard her and the others burst into tears. I was shocked to learn that no one heard of her death. When we got to the school, I showed them what she recorded on her ‘slum book’ and the principal later arranged some students who came and narrated that Fatima came out of the toilet, collapsed and fell sick thereafter. However, one of her classmates later told the gathering how the math teacher flogged them for not doing their homework, and when it got to Fatima’s turn, she begged not to be flogged on her back but hands. What annoyed me was the principal and the teacher’s move to cover up what really happened. My family is pained because of that. Another thing was the school authority not doing enough during her sickness. Records show she wasn’t even taken to the school’s dispensary or Fago Town hospital or to Daura for proper medical attention. More painful was their inability to come and condole with us during the funeral. The vice principal came four days after on his way to Dutsinma while the principal sent a message that she will come next week. Even her friends were not told she’s dead”, the bereaved father reportedly told Daily Trust.
The family reported the matter to the state Ministry of Education and got the teacher and school authorities summoned and it was found out that Suleiman, also known as Sikiti, was not a full-time teacher or casual staff. He was only engaged by the school principal through a private arrangement for a monthly stipend of N5,000.
Suleiman admitted during the meeting that he had truly flogging all the students who did not do their home work. “When I came to flog her, she told me that I can only flog her on her palms which I did. This is all I know“, he reportedly said.
