The Lagos State Police Command says it has extended invitations to the management of Chrisland Schools, parents and the pupils allegedly involved in sexual acts during a school trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, stated this during a telephone interview with our correspondent on Tuesday.
He said, “All the parties have been invited to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba. The parties include the school authorities, parents and their children.
“Nobody has reported yet, but we are in touch with them and they have all given us a reasonable date and time that they will come. Whatever happens after their invitation will determine the next line of action.”
A source, however, revealed to our correspondent that all the parties would report at the SCIID on Wednesday.
Recall that the pupils, including a 10-year-old girl, were among the 76 pupils that represented the school during the World School Games in Dubai which held between March 8 and 14, 2022.
During the event, the 10-year-old girl was reportedly involved in sexual acts which were recorded by another pupil.
The video clip went viral on Twitter on Monday.
The mother of the girl was heard in another recorded clip accusing the school of cover-up and taking her daughter for a pregnancy test without parental consent.
The state government then shut down all Chrisland Schools in the state, as the police commenced investigation into the matter.
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Chrisland Schools, in a statement by a member of its advisory board, Akin Fadeyi, late Monday, denied the rape allegation, adding that the school did not take the child for any pregnancy test.
Reacting to the incident, a senior lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, faulted the Lagos State Government for taking a knee-jack approach to such issues.
He said, “Too often, the government reacts with a knee-jack approach. Knee-jack in the sense that it is when something happens that it will say it is closing down the school.
“It closed down the school, so what happens to the right to education of other pupils in the school? What happened to their right to learn in school? What happened to the money parents paid?
“So, it is not just about closing down the school; that is reactive; what the government should be doing is to activate the appropriate agencies/departments in the ministry of education, the supervisors to work. So, this is the time for the government to look inward.
“How many supervisors do they have that go round schools on a weekly/monthly basis to ask these children how they are fearing and what is going on in that school? I suspect that they don’t.”
Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, has ordered a review of police personnel and operational assets deployment to schools and colleges in the country.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Tuesday, said the order was to ensure schools were safe and secure for students across the country.
Adejobi said the review was a result of some isolated incidents reported in some schools in the country.
Source: Punch