Headteacher and others at the Metorite Standard School in Nigeria’s South-western Ogun state have been arrested by the police of the state after they allegedly tied some students of the school to a crosses and flogged them by the roadside in the full glare of the public claiming they were late for school.

Images of the widely condemned incident have gone viral on social media and authorities are not take it lightly at all.

Media reports suggest that a police officer who witnessed the incident on his way to work and tried to restrain the school authorities was beaten up together with his friend.

According to Africafeeds.com, the officer had to call for reinforcement to be able to arrest at take the berserk culprits to the police station.

READ MORE: Teacher ties student to pillar as punishment for nonpayment of fees

Narrating his experience, the police officer said he “was going to work when I saw some cars parked by the roadside. I discovered that it was because of some pupils that were tied to crosses.

“When I saw it, I parked and went to meet the proprietor of the school. I introduced myself as a policeman and told him to untie the pupils. He refused, saying there was nothing anybody could tell him that would make him to release them.

“When I tried to untie the pupils, the proprietor and his teachers beat me up. Before I returned from picking handcuffs from my car, they had grabbed a friend who was with me,  Omaje iremi, and beaten him up with a horsewhip.”

The police officer added that he “entered the school – with the help of some neighbours who gathered around – to arrest him, but he refused to follow me. I then called the Divisional Police Officer of the Itele Police Station and he sent some policemen to the school, who took everybody to the station.”

Confirming the incident, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi reportedly condemned the act, saying it was “a barbaric incident because I don’t see any offence that a secondary school pupil will commit that will make someone to tie him or her and be flogging them in public.”

The senior police spokesperson added: “The act is no longer a corrective measure; it is a barbaric act and it will not be allowed in this 21st century.”