Dec. 5, 2024

An Oredo Chief Magistrate’s Court in Benin has sentenced the proprietor of Calvary Crown Academy, Benin, Paul Okugbowa, and three teachers to prison for negligence and insulting a parent.

The presiding Magistrate, Caroline Oghuma, in the judgment delivered on Thursday, sentenced Okugbowa to 6 months imprisonment with an option of N100,000 fine for calling the mother of a pupil a prostitute.

Okugbowa was the candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the 2024 Edo governorship election.

The three teachers, Blessing Osarodion, Egharevba Esosa, and Isioma Nimen, were charged with negligence and abandonment of two pupils in their care.

Osarodion and Esosa were sentenced to one year imprisonment or an option of N100,000 fine each on each of the two counts bothering on negligence, leading to the injury of a 6-year-old pupil, Salma Aigbudu.

Nimen was convicted for unlawfully abandoning another pupil, Zuri Aigbudu, and sentenced to three months imprisonment or an option of N50,000 fine.

The Prosecutor, Mr Austin Enababor, said Okugbowa committed the offence on Sept. 8, 2023 at the AIG Zone 5 headquarters in Benin, where he conducted himself in a manner likely to cause breach of peace.

Enababor said Okugbowa publicly called Mrs Blessing Aigbudu, the mother of the two pupils, a prostitute in the presence of her husband and bystanders to the hearing of the public.

He told the court that the three teachers worked with the Academy and assigned as the caregivers for the children.

Enababor said the teachers failed to carry out their duty on the six-year-old daughter, which led to an injury on her face on Sept. 29, 2021 and caused her a serious harm.

Enababor said Salma Aigbudu was wounded in the waiting room of the school during the closing hour without any first aid administered on her by the teachers on duty.

Enababor said the offences contravened Sections 167(2), 412, 270, 412 and 267 of the Criminal Laws of Edo 2022.(NAN)