The Nigeria Police Force, Zone 2 Command, Onikan, Lagos, has denied arresting a mother, Mary Queen Udoka, over her complaint about content in a nursery school textbook.
Mother Raises Alarm
Udoka had raised alarm over passages in English Language Foundation for Nursery School written by Ayengbe JB. One of the stories, titled “The Old Man and The Dog,” describes a scene in which a dog is punished by having a hot iron placed inside its nose. Reacting, she said: “My children are my priority and I read this. Is this the book they are reading now? It doesn’t sit well with me.” She added that although she raised the concern publicly, she later took down the post after receiving a call from the author’s lawyer, alleging that the author had been bullying her.
Author Responds
In response, the author said: “I not want to talk at all because people don’t want to hear my own side of the story, they allow sympathy to blind them. I wonder how gullible we are in this country. Everybody has been listening to the lies the lady is telling the world and nobody is asking me anything. Nigeria is a funny society. The lady invited me to social media to come and clear some things but I did not answer because she didn’t buy the book on social media. My details are in the book but she chose to go on social media to discredit the book. She’s too small for me to explain to. She was not born at the time I started teaching. I spent years in teaching so, if she cannot respect me by calling my line or coming to my office.” When asked if he opposes reviews of his book, he said: “No. Anybody that wants to succeed should be happy when corrected whether corrected in secret or in public but some people sent videos to me and it shows the girl was not doing correction but criticising. There is nothing wrong with what I wrote.”
Police Clarify Invitation
Responding to reports of Udoka’s arrest, the Zone 2 Police spokesperson, Gbenga Afolayan, said the command only issued an invitation. “We received the petition. The police is duty bound to investigate any allegation of criminal matter and as a result of that, we sent an invitation letter to Mrs Udoka but we saw stories of her being arrested which is not true. We only sent an invitation letter and not arrest. What have we done wrong?” he said.
Lagos State Investigation
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has launched an investigation into the use of the book in schools. In a statement, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education confirmed that an inquiry is underway. The Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Tolani Alli-Balogun, directed officials to examine the source and use of the book after the video gained traction online. Preliminary findings indicate that the textbook is not among the officially approved learning materials in the state. The ministry said the book had not undergone the required review process and is not authorised for use in public or approved private schools. The ministry also disclosed that the school featured in the viral video is located in Ojo Local Government Area. Authorities said the institution and the publisher involved have been identified, with further action to follow pending the outcome of investigations.
