Barely 24 hours after the Edo State Government shut down Authentic Royal Preparatory School, located in Benin-City, security operatives on Saturday reportedly stormed the school premises to disrupt its Parents Teachers Association, PTA, meeting.
DAILY POST gathered that the security operatives were led to the school by the Edo State Government task force.
DAILY POST had on Friday, reported that the State Ministry of Education revoked the school’s operational licence due to alleged inadequate infrastructure, which hinders effective teaching and learning.
It was learnt that following the government’s sanction, the PTA members of the school called for an emergency meeting at the school’s premises to discuss how to possibly meet with management regarding the fate of their wards.
A parent, who identified herself simply as Mrs Igiehon, said barely five minutes after the meeting started, the officials of the task force and security operatives invaded the school and disrupted the gathering.
Igiehon, who said the task force and the security personnel invaded the venue in a commando style, alleged that they were harassed and ordered to immediately leave the premises.
”They began to harass us and ordered everyone to enter their vehicles because according to them, we were under arrest.
”Some of us resisted them, while some parents were already traumatised because they had mistaken the government team for robbers.
“They thereafter drove us out of the school premises and took over the area,” she alleged.
DAILY POST had earlier reported that the proprietor of the school, Dr Godsent Erhumwunse, while reacting against the revocation of the operational licence of the school, alleged that the government’s action was not about a school that did not meet the standard, but about a person who said that nobody can talk to him.
“This is what you get when you appoint a non-educationist as Commissioner. I have all my documents, including approval, tax and renewal. They are all up to date.
“The Commissioner has targeted me. I want him to know that there is God on the throne.
“This is a low-cost school where many pupils and students are on scholarships. Instead of the government assisting us, they are crushing us”, he added.
A Director of Planning and Statistics in the State Ministry of Education, Gabriel Orire, had said the school revocation followed a report of a recent inspection exercise carried out by the Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu.
A directive from the State Commissioner of Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu said the order to close down the school was over alleged non-compliance with the relevant requirements of the ministry.
The ministry’s directive was enforced by the director, Planning and Statistics, Gabriel Orire, who led other officers of the ministry and the Edo State task force for the protection of government property.
Dr Godsent Erhumwunse, the proprietor of the school, is also the State Controller of the Association of Formidable Education Development, AFED.
The group, a member of the Coalition of Association of Private Schools, CAPS, is a body of private school owners in the State, who had on September 16, 2025, protested against the excessive taxation imposed on them by the state government.
The private school owners also faulted the government’s directive on the transition from formal to skills-based education during a one-day consultative town hall meeting in Benin City.
