Police briefly detained the PTA chairman of NINLAN Demonstration Schools in Aba after parents protested a 100% tuition hike that led to traffic chaos, with school authorities defending the fee increase as reasonable and urging those unable to pay to seek alternatives.
Tension erupted at the National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN) Demonstration Nursery, Primary, and Secondary Schools in Aba, Abia State, after police officers detained the chairman of the school’s Parents-Teachers Association (PTA), Dr. Chidi Emenike.
The incident stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the PTA and the school’s management over a recent hike in tuition and related charges, which the parents claimed had risen by over 100 percent. Vanguard learned that the new fees were implemented immediately after the mid-term break.
In protest, Dr. Emenike reportedly urged parents to assemble with their children at the school gate, opposing the fee increase introduced months earlier. The demonstration resulted in a massive traffic jam along the old Aba–Umuahia highway as parents and students gathered in large numbers, blocking entry and exit from the premises.
Police officers from the Eastern Ngwa Division soon arrived, dispersing the crowd and taking Emenike into custody. Efforts by journalists to speak with the school’s Principal and Headmistress were unsuccessful, as officers prevented access to the premises.
When contacted, the Executive Director of NINLAN, Prof. Ogbonna Onuoha, said he was unaware of the PTA chairman’s detention but accused Emenike of mobilizing parents and students to defy school directives. He explained that the institution was currently on a “fee drive” and noted that some parents had refused to pay because of the PTA’s stance.
Onuoha defended the new fees, describing them as “reasonable and well below what similar schools charge.” He advised parents unable to meet the cost to transfer their children elsewhere.
After his release, Emenike returned to the school gate, addressing the crowd. He clarified that he was not arrested but only invited by the police for questioning about the parents’ protest.
“People saw me leave with the police, but that wasn’t an arrest,” he said. “I went to clear up the misunderstanding, and as you can see, I’m here free and unharmed.”
He reiterated that the fee hike was unaffordable for many parents and appealed to the school management to revert to the previous payment structure. Following his address, he urged parents to take their children home peacefully while awaiting further dialogue.
A parent, who chose to remain anonymous, called on the Ministry of Education to intervene and mediate between the PTA and the school authorities. Another parent, Mrs. Chioma Onwukwe, a widow, pleaded for the management to consider the country’s economic hardship and reduce the fees.
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