20th April, 2022
The Lagos State Police Command has invited the management of Chrisland Schools, parents and the pupils allegedly involved in sexual acts during a school trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed to Channels Television on Tuesday that all parties involved had been contacted.
“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.”
Amid the controversy trailing the alleged abuse of the minor, police authorities in Lagos had vowed to ensure that justice was served in the matter.
Hundeyin explained in a statement on Monday that the police have commenced an investigation following the emergence of a video that went viral on social media.
According to him, the police will probe the allegation of threat to the life of the pupil and circumstances surrounding the alleged repeated pregnancy tests conducted on her without parental consent, among others.
The command spokesman added that the police would not ignore the cybercrime aspect of the incident and might enlist the support of the INTERPOL, should the need arise.
However, he said all the parties involved would report at the SCIID on Wednesday.
The state government had ordered that all Chrisland Schools within Lagos be shut down, pending further investigations.
The government said the allegations were also being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice, and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency.
It reassured residents of its commitment to safety and child protection and warned against the visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
The state government stressed that anyone caught producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography risks a custodial sentence of 14 years.
The mother of the pupil had, in a viral video on Monday, claimed that her daughter was drugged and raped by some male students of the school while they were on a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
She claimed that Chrisland sought to cover up the matter and suspended her daughter once the school found out she was aware of the gravity of the alleged abuse.
But the school, in a later statement signed by a member of its advisory board, Akin Fadeyi, insisted that no rape occurred and faulted the allegation of conducting a pregnancy test.
“We are proud to reassure our stakeholders that no rape of anyone or the administration of a pregnancy test on any child took place on our watch.
“For emphasis, only a COVID post-travel test was conducted on the returning delegation of our students, in compliance with COVID-19 travel protocols, at the Life Centre Medical Services on March 21, 2022, at School Hall, Opebi,” the statement said.