Mr Christopher Onwualu, the father of Izuchukwu David Onwualu, the 11-year-old JSS 1 student of St. Valerian Catholic School, Onitsha, Anambra State, allegedly flogged to death by a teacher said he did not collect N200,000 from the school to hurriedly bury his son.
The Igbo-speaking Mr Onwualu said that he collected money called “ego akwan”, meaning condolence money, which people give to a bereaved family when they visit, a norm in Igbo land.
Recall that the JSS 1 student allegedly died after a female basic science teacher in the school flogged and hit his head with a plastic bottle for failing to do his assignment from home.
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Mr Onwualu said he personally invited the school parish priest to conduct the last prayers for his son so that he could be buried because there was no point keeping his remains in the morgue.
He faulted the school management for only visiting his family on the day of the burial and not deeming it fit to visit again.
“Nothing was wrong with my son. I took him to school on a motorcycle on that Tuesday morning, only to see him writhing in pain in the evening and he passed on after several efforts to resuscitate him. We have resigned to fate as I don’t want the matter to continue to linger.
“I was the one that called the parish priest of the school to come and offer last prayers so that I will bury him as there was no need keeping his corpse in the mortuary. He was buried in our hometown in Onitsha.
“After burying my son, someone called me and was saying that they learnt that I collected N200,000 from the school to quickly bury my son. It is not true. How can I? The school representatives came with the envelope on the day of the burial and after the ceremony ended, they presented an envelope to us. When I asked what it was, they said it was ‘condolence money,’ which is a norm in Igboland. I handed over the envelope to my wife and up until now, we have yet to even open it.
“So, what is N200,000 that I will collect for the life of my son. I have four children in the school and I know how much I pay. Although, for now, I have withdrawn my other children from the school. I don’t want this matter to continue to linger anymore. I have resigned to fate. All these false information they are putting out there, I don’t want it anymore. The money was not meant for me to hurriedly bury my son.
“I missed my son as he was a very helpful and likable fellow, but what can I do? I cannot bring him back,” Onwualu, who was in company of his wife, told journalists.
However, the school management declined comments, saying it was still mourning the departed and would comment at a later date.