The mother of the 10-year-old girl also accused Chrisland School of threatening to kill her daughter if she opens up
By Kehinde Okeowo
Lagos State government has decided to close all branches of Chrisland School after a 10-year-old pupil of the school was allegedly sexually abused during a school trip to Dubai.
It was gathered via a video released by the girl’s mother that while the girl was being raped by her peers, someone recorded the act and posted it online.
The mother, while narrating her daughter’s ordeal stated that the school threatened her daughter not to talk to anyone about the incident or else they would kill her, in an attempt to cover up the act.
“They have been threatening my daughter that if she speaks out, they are going to kill her; that it is men’s world that she should keep quiet, she shouldn’t disclose to me,” she wrote.
She continued, “About a month ago, I was on my way out of Lagos. So, I got a call from Mrs. Azike, the head teacher from Chrisland; she called me (to say) that she needed to see me. I said I would come when I returned, and two days later, I came to the school. When I got to the school, I met her with two other women in her office.
“They wanted me to know my daughter, whom I left in their care that they took to Dubai, kissed a boy, and the boy kissed her, and they found out that they got that kissing thing from ‘truth and dare’, which I said I would curtail her. They said (what) they wanted me to do is to take her phone so they won’t continue practicing, and I said OK.”
She also said some weeks later the school’s principal Georgie Azike invited her to a Zoom meeting where Mr. Akin, the meeting host, preached forgiveness.
According to her, the incident remained unclear until another parent showed a video of her daughter engaging in sexual acts with her schoolmates, an incident she did not know about until the woman spoke to her.
“So please, I’m begging Nigeria to help me because Chrisland was trying to hide this issue. They were trying to push us out of the way, and my daughter was psychologically insane.
“Please, I need help as a mother. I’m begging fellow Nigerians to help me. The part that Chrisland played to cover up this rape issue.” she narrated.
The woman went on to say when she and her husband confronted Chrisland School’s management for lying to them, the institution responded by suspending her daughter.
“They took her to do a pregnancy test without the father knowing and lied to us that they were taking her for a Covid test. Because we have started confronting them, they sent her suspension letter,” she further lamented.
Meanwhile, The state government has announced the closure of the school through a letter made available by the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance and Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice
The statement read, “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland school which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice, and the Lagos State Domestic & Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.
“In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and psycho-social support is provided.
“This is to reassure members of the public of the State Government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centered institutions within the state, formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order (NO.EO/AA08 of 2016), Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Program.
“We also use this medium to remind the general public that any person who engages in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to custodial sentence of fourteen (14) years. This includes “producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography”.
“In the meantime, all Chrisland schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations.”
