Panic has gripped the management and teachers of Peaklane Schools, Akute, Ogun State, as the state Ministry of Justice has taken over the prosecution of a case of a six-year-old pupil allegedly raped by two teachers of the school.
The Point had broken the news two months ago, when two teachers of the school, simply identified as Messrs. Leke and Anyawu, allegedly had carnal knowledge of a minor (names withheld) in the school’s toilet.
Our correspondent, who had been monitoring the case, reported that the matter had earlier been adjourned till April 13 by an Ifo Magistrates’ Court.
The court had also granted each of the two accused teachers a bail of N1million, about two months ago.
But in what took the suspects and the school management by surprise, an official of the Ogun State Ministry of Justice, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Eniola (SAN), appeared at the hearing on Friday and informed the court about the decision of the state to take over the prosecution of the
case.
Following this development, the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Iroko, fixed June 6 for further hearing on the matter.
Our correspondent, however, reliably gathered that the development devastated the school management, which had already announced to its other pupils that the case had been dismissed by the court.
A staff of the school, who didn’t want his name mentioned, said the school management was shocked by what took place in court on Friday.
“With the situation of things, the school is worried the way the case is going. We have advised our madam, but she didn’t listen. Now she is really concerned,” he said.
Meanwhile, the school’s proprietress, Mrs. Ifeyinwa Nwachukwu, was said to have earlier announced to the students of the school and Parent/Teacher Association before the current vacation, that the school management had secured victory over the victim’s family.
A student in the senior arm of the school told our correspondent that while announcing that the school had won the case, the proprietress asked them to shout seven hallelujahs while on their knees on the assembly ground.
“Our proprietress told us on the assembly ground that they had won the case against the family and asked us to shout seven hallelujahs on our knees. She said the family wanted to make themselves rich by lying against the school and teachers,” he said.
The parents of the victim also alleged that the elder sister of the victim, who was in Junior Secondary School 2 in the college arm of the institution, was stigmatised by her teachers over the
case.
“Our other child in the college arm of the school was being disturbed till she finished her examination last term. She said they were shouting at her, that her parents wanted to make themselves rich by lying against the school and teachers,” the victim’s father, Mr. Afolabi Oluwadunke, said.
Meanwhile, efforts to hear from the school’s proprietress was not successful as she didn’t pick calls made to her phone by our correspondent. She also did not reply a text message sent
to her.
