Stella Nwadigo, a staff of Christ-Mitots School, Isawo Road, Ikorodu, Lagos, has been arrested after she was filmed brutalising Michael Abayomi, her three-year-old pupil.
FIJ gathered that Nwadigo was first arrested by the Lagos Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSC) on Wednesday after a video of her hitting the toddler in her class went viral.
Nwadigo had hit the child repeatedly during her number-writing lessons.
“It is like this. Write. Write six for me. Write. Six. Six. Like this, six like this. Like this. Now your one. Six. One. Sixty-one. Write,” she said at intervals while also hitting him.
In one of the videos of her arrest which has made it to the internet, a voice behind the camera announced her arrest.
“Under the president of Nigeria and the governor of Lagos State and the Commissioner of Police, you are under arrest,” the voice said to which she responded, “Yes, sir.”
In another video, Nwadigo was seen in a police station. There, a woman identified by social media users as Adetoun confronted her.
“Just leave her for us. Leave her for us,” she said in a mixture of Yoruba and English.
“The child is my child,” Nwadigo responded.
“The child is your child and you caused the whole chaos in the country. I am listening. Do you know what this woman has caused the whole country as a whole?” Nwadigo was asked.
“Please help me,” Nwadigo pleaded.
“Me I will help you? Me? I don’t help people. You and who? You beat up a child and you asked me to help you. I will help you to go to jail,” Adetoun responded.
When FIJ called the LNSC, they said they were yet to confirm Nwadigo’s arrest. However, Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, confirmed that the police had her instead.
“Thank you for the update. She is currently in our custody for further necessary actions,” Hundeyin said on Wednesday.