Oyo teacher died of Cancer, not student attack — Report
By Adewale Owoade
The death of a teacher at Soun High School, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Mr Fatai Adegoke, has sparked controversy following claims on social media that he was beaten to death by students.
However, findings by stakeholders and a death certificate issued by LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso, have confirmed that Adegoke died of Multiple Myeloma, a type of bone cancer.
The death certificate, signed by Dr Akinbola Abraham, listed Multiple Myeloma as the primary cause of death.
Adegoke died on Nov. 4, 2025. Some online reports had alleged that he died from injuries sustained during an attack by four students who were caught gambling.
A delegation from the Oyo State Ministry of Education and the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), led by the Executive Chairperson, Oyo State Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM), Mrs Olubukola Oladipo, visited the school and the widow of the deceased.
The school principal, Mr Ajayi Adeyinka, said although Adegoke had an encounter with four students found gambling, the incident was not responsible for his death.
“It was on May 28, 2025, that Mr Fatai Adegoke, while going round the classes, met four boys playing whot in an empty classroom, which is against the school rules.
“He took them aside for interrogation. One of the boys is a son to his friend. In an attempt to discipline the boy, the boy raised his arm to defend himself, and Mr Adegoke’s hand accidentally hit the boy’s elbow.
“His hand became swollen and the school took him to the hospital for treatment. He returned home the same day,” he said.
Adeyinka said when Adegoke later took ill and was admitted to a private hospital, he facilitated his transfer to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital on Nov. 3 for further treatment.
“We asked the doctor what the issue was, and he told us it was Stage 4 bone marrow cancer with no chance of survival.
“On Nov. 4, around 1:49 p.m., I received a call that he had passed on,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Inspectorate of Education, Ogbomoso Zone, Mr Paul Oyedokun, said the school convened a stakeholders’ meeting after the incident to maintain discipline among students, during which all students signed an undertaking to be of good behaviour.
“In a nutshell, it wasn’t the action of the student that led to Mr Adegoke’s death. It was unfortunate that the health complications he had over the years resulted in his demise.
“We commiserate with the family, staff, students and the entire community. Mr Adegoke was a dutiful officer,” he said.
The Oyo State NUT Secretary, Comrade Olukayode Salami, said members contributed funds to support his medical treatment after doctors advised that a bone marrow transplant could help him survive.
The widow of the deceased said her husband had an accident in 2011 but recovered fully. She appealed to the government and well-meaning Nigerians to support her in raising their two surviving children, noting that she had earlier lost two children.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Adegoke was a non-teaching staff member at TESCOM before he was converted to teaching staff in 2019 and posted to Soun High School, Ogbomoso, on May 28, 2022. (NAN)
