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14-Year-Old Loses Eye After Receiving Slap

A 14-year-old Senior Secondary School II student of Bishop Phillips Academy, Ibadan, Oyo State, Miss Iyanuoluwa Dahunsi lost her eye after she was slapped by the secretary to her school’s principal, Naij.com reports

In a report by the Tribune, Dahunsi was allegedly slapped by one Mrs Funke Fashina, the secretary to the principal of the school on Thursday, January 29 after she had seen the student and her colleagues emerging from an unused room within the school and demanded to know what they were doing there.

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Fashina reportedly slapped each of the girls while interrogating them.

Shortly after, Dahunsi’s right eye developed a problem that caused doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan(UCH) to recommend surgery. Iyanu said she can no longer see with her right eye.

Presently, the eyeball of the affected eye is almost dropping out of the sockets. Dahunsi’s explained to the Tribune the events that transpired the day she was slapped.

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“We saw our teacher from the window of the room so we wanted to step out to go and meet her. As we were about to leave the room, we saw the secretary to the Principal, Mrs Funke Fasina,” Dahunsi said.

“She asked us what we were doing in that room, but before we could explain, she slapped us one after the other.

“By the time I got home, my left eye had turned red and painful. I told my mother what happened but she dismissed me, saying that I would not have been slapped if I didn’t do something wrong.”

Things went worse, forcing the mother to visit the school to complain.

“On Monday February 9, my mother followed me to school and the principal asked my mother to take me to the hospital.”

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She sought medical attention from different hospitals before UCH recommended surgery.

“From there, we went to the University College Hospital, Ibadan and I was told that I would undergo surgery. We were told to bring N300,000 as deposit.”

Her parents could not afford the sum and filed a report with the police, but the damage had already been done.

“Now I can no longer see with my right eye and I am going through a lot of pains,” the teenager said.

Her mother, Mrs Damilola Dahunsi, said she had even begged the secretary, believing that the eye problem was as a result of black magic

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“We went to Mrs Fashina and I begged her to give us an antidote if she used a charm on my daughter but she denied using charm to slap my daughter,” the mother said.

“My daughter never had any eye problem since she was born.”

The girl’s uncle, Sunkanmi Ojewumi, added that an unnamed staff of UCH tried to frustrate the family. He also said the Permanent Secretary at the Oyo Ministry of Education, Mr. Giwa, said the Ministry could only assist the family to beg for alms from students, inferring that the girl had other problems prior to the slap.

“He said the only way they could help was to go round schools and seek donations from students, which TESCOM would add to,” Ojewumi said.

“It was claimed that she had a tumor in the eye. But we will not accept the result because the girl never had eye problem.

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Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the Oyo State Police, DSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said Fashina was arraigned on March 9 and made bail on March 12.

Fashina has meanwhile been suspended as confirmed by the Commissioner of Education, Prof Solomon Oladapo Olaniyonu.

“They have taken the case to court and we have already suspended the lady. On the treatment, some humanitarian persons have been gathering money and I saw the Permanent Secretary this morning and he told me that the deposit had been gathered,” he said.

The family is now seeking help from the government, being unable to meet UCH’s N300,000 (GHC 5516.209) deposit demand.

“We appeal to the government to come to the girl’s aid. We don’t have any money and the father’s shop at Oki area of Ibadan was razed recently and he lost goods worth millions of naira. The mother sells provisions.”

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The Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), UCH, Dr Adefemi Afolabi, while speaking with Sunday Tribune, said that the hospital did not usually turn back patients in need of emergency surgery.

.“When a patient needs surgery and it is not an emergency, there are many patients competing for the facilities we have in UCH. So, it will be a matter of the order in which the patients come, or their condition.

“The doctors managing the patient will also consider whether they have space in the theatre and ward where the patient will be admitted. You can’t take a patient to a ward where she catches an infection after a successful surgery, so all these are put into consideration when slating a patient for surgery,” the CMAC stated.

He promised that Iyanu would be seen by the doctors and it would be decided when they would admit her and carry out the surgery. On the result of the CT scan that the family desired to see, Dr Afolabi said that they could apply to the hospital for the medical report of the patient which would contain the summary of the CT s

Dahunsi’s parents hope that the ministry of education and ministry of health on Oyo state can come up with the N300,000 000 (GHC 5516.209) needed to complete the surgery soas the save the life of a young and aspiring young Nigerian.

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Recall that Oyo State branch of the National Association of Retired Primary School Teachers (NARPST) in Ibadan, niaj.com reported.

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