Assault on Toddler: Lagos  Enforces the Child Rights Act

Funmi Ogundare

The Lagos State Government has invoked the Child Rights Act and the Lagos State Policy on Safeguarding and Child Protection against Mrs. Stella Nwadigbo, a teacher at Christ Mitots Nursery and Primary School, Ikorodu, for the indecent treatment of one of her pupils, Master Abayomi Michael.

A video which showed Nwadigbo repeatedly smacking the three-year-old pupil in the face for struggling with a lesson went viral on January 8, 2025, 

As a result, the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA) of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education conducted an investigation. On January 9, they visited the school, which was established in 2010, but found it partially closed, with students instructed to stay home until Monday, January 13.

In response, the Head Teacher, Mrs. B. Adeyeri, on behalf of the school’s Proprietor, Mrs. O.N. Olutoye, explained that the closure was necessary to protect the remaining pupils from harassment and to manage the influx of visitors and media seeking to take photos and videos on the premises.

The Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Kayode Sutton in a statement noted that the affected child has been provided with medical care, while Nwadigbo has been arrested and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Facility, where she will remain until February 18, awaiting legal advice from the director of public prosecution.

According to him, “Mrs. Nwadigbo’s actions constitute a violation of the Child Rights Act and the Lagos State Policy on Safeguarding and Child Protection, both of which carry legal penalties.

The investigation resumed on Monday, January 13, and involved the school’s proprietor, the headteacher, Master Abayomi, his mother, Mrs. Okunlaya Adenike Fatimah (who is also a teacher at the school), and other pupils.