The death of a junior secondary school girl, 13-year-old Maimuna Sani Salisu, popularly known as Nihal, has shaken Kano and the nation.

While investigations into the circumstances surrounding her death are still ongoing, the public reaction to the tragedy has revealed something deeper than the search for answers in a single case.

The Kano State Government, over the weekend, constituted a committee to probe the death of Maimuna, a student of St. Louis College who allegedly died from corporal punishment.

The intensity of the outrage reflects a growing unease about the treatment of children in schools and the continued reliance on corporal punishment despite repeated warnings about its dangers.

Whether the investigation ultimately confirms or disproves allegations that punishment contributed to Nihal’s death, the questions raised by the incident cannot be confined to one school, one teacher or one set of students.

They touch on a wider issue that has lingered within Nigeria’s educational system for decades. Nihal’s case has become a focal point not because it is unique, but because it reminds many Nigerians of similar incidents that have occurred before it.

The concern is supported by evidence. According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 1.2 billion children around the world experience corporal punishment every year.

The organisation has repeatedly warned that physical punishment harms children’s physical and mental health, increases behavioural problems and offers no positive developmental outcomes.

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In Nigeria, findings from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey showed that nine out of every ten children between the ages of one and fourteen have experienced some form of violent discipline.

UNICEF has similarly reported that about 85 per cent of Nigerian children experience violent disciplinary measures in schools, while nearly one-third are subjected to severe physical punishment.

These figures suggest that the issue is not confined to a handful of schools. Rather, it reflects a widespread culture that continues to associate discipline with pain.

For Kano residents, the memory of the 2025 tragedy at Government Boarding Secondary School, Bichi, remains fresh.

Two students reportedly lost their lives following a disciplinary assault involving fellow students, prompting arrests and renewed concern about the culture of punishment in schools.

Coming barely a year before the Nihal case, the Bichi incident demonstrated that concerns about student safety in educational institutions are neither distant nor new.

The pattern extends beyond Kano. In 2018, the death of Rayyan Ahmad, an SS2 student of Government Day Secondary School, Sankalawa in Zamfara State, generated national debate after reports linked his death to flogging by a teacher.

Although family members later disputed a direct connection between the punishment and the student’s death, the incident highlighted the potential dangers associated with corporal punishment.

In 2021, public outrage followed the circulation of a viral video showing students of an Arabic school in Ganmo, Kwara State, being brutally flogged with long canes by their tutors.

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The reaction was so intense that the state government constituted a committee headed by a retired judge to investigate the incident and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.

The following year, in 2022, Hauwa’u Salihu, a student of Rochas Foundation School in Zaria, Kaduna State, suffered severe neck injuries and narrowly escaped spinal cord damage after allegedly being struck by a teacher during punishment.

Similar concerns had emerged earlier in 2017 when Raliya Suleiman, a student of Government Secondary School, Kachai, reportedly lost sight in her right eye after a teacher’s cane allegedly struck her during punishment for lateness.

The same year, public attention was drawn to the death of Nuhu Yahya of Federal Government College, Kwali, who reportedly died after being hit by a teacher.

These incidents reinforced concerns that punishment intended to correct behaviour can sometimes result in life-altering consequences.

The concerns were not limited to the North. In October 2024, a student identified as Monday Arijo reportedly died after undergoing punishment administered by a teacher.

In January 2025, national outrage erupted after a video showed a teacher repeatedly slapping a three-year-old pupil in a Lagos classroom.

.What made that case particularly disturbing was the admission by many parents and educators that such behaviour was far from uncommon.

.It became a national controversy only because it was captured on camera.

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Viewed in isolation, each of these incidents may appear exceptional. Viewed collectively, they point to a recurring problem.

The names, locations and circumstances differ, but the underlying theme remains the same. Time and again, allegations of excessive punishment have surfaced, raising concerns about the boundaries between discipline and abuse.

The persistence of these incidents suggests that the issue goes beyond individual teachers. It is rooted in a longstanding belief that fear is an effective educational tool and that physical pain is a legitimate pathway to discipline.

Yet decades of research indicate otherwise. Children subjected to violent punishment are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, aggression, poor educational outcomes and long-term psychological distress.

The evidence increasingly suggests that corporal punishment may achieve immediate compliance, but often at the expense of a child’s wellbeing.

Nigeria’s continued debate over corporal punishment stands in contrast to developments in many other countries.

Over the past several decades, countries such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, Germany, South Africa and New Zealand have prohibited corporal punishment in schools or in all settings involving children.

Their experiences demonstrate that discipline can be maintained without resorting to violence and that educational authority does not depend on the cane.

Nigeria is not without legal and policy frameworks intended to protect children. The Child Rights Act and various international conventions to which the country is a signatory emphasise the protection of children from violence, abuse and degrading treatment.

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The challenge lies in translating those principles into everyday practice within schools. The recurring reports of excessive punishment suggest a troubling gap between policy and reality.

This debate is often framed as a choice between discipline and indiscipline. It is not. Schools require discipline, structure and accountability.

However, discipline does not require brutality. A child can be corrected without being humiliated. A student can be guided without being injured.

The real question is not whether schools should discipline children, but whether physical punishment should continue to occupy such a central place in that process.

The lesson from Nihal’s case therefore extends beyond the ongoing investigation. It is a reminder that every allegation of excessive punishment deserves serious scrutiny.

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It is a reminder that policies mean little without enforcement. It is a reminder that teachers require training in alternative disciplinary methods and that schools must establish effective systems for safeguarding students.

Most importantly, it is a reminder that society must stop treating each new incident as an isolated tragedy. The names may change. The locations may differ. The details may vary. Yet the underlying problem remains remarkably consistent.

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As Kano awaits the outcome of investigations into Nihal’s death, the temptation will be to focus solely on the circumstances of one child. That would be a mistake.

The larger issue confronting the nation is whether it is prepared to confront a culture that continues to tolerate violence in the name of discipline.

The true measure of concern will not be the outrage expressed today, but the reforms undertaken tomorrow.

A society that entrusts its children to schools cannot remain indifferent when those same schools become places of fear rather than learning.