Three people have been arrested in Ogun State for allegedly tying late students to crosses and flogging them with horsewhips.

The three – including the headteacher – were taken into custody after a police officer stumbled across the incident.

Pictures show at least two young people – one boy and one girl – tied to a makeshift crucifix with green string.

A police spokesman described the punishment as “a barbaric act”.

Ogun State police spokesman Abimbola Oyeyemi confirmed to BBC that the principal, owner and another teacher were arrested and are likely to be charged.

He added: “The act is no longer a corrective measure, it is a barbaric act, it is not acceptable and it will not be tolerated.”

Local reports say they were being punished for being late.

The officer – named only as Livinus – tried to intervene, asking the school’s owner to free the teenagers. When the owner of the school in Ayetoro, 145km (90 miles) north-west of Lagos, refused, the officer decided to take action – only to be forced back.

“When I tried to untie the pupils, the proprietor and his teachers beat me up,” he told the Lagos-based newspaperThe PUNCH. “Before I returned from picking handcuffs from my car, they had grabbed a friend who was with me... and beat him up with a horsewhip.”

The suspects were eventually arrested after back-up arrived.

•Adapted from a BBC report.