A woman has alleged that her 11-year-old son has been sexually molested by fellow students at Deeper Life High School, Uyo in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria.
The woman, Deborah Okezie, posted a live video on Facebook where she said some senior students in the college “habitually inserted their fingers and toes in his son’s anus.”
She said her son was frequently starved and beaten up by the senior students.
Mrs Okezie alleged that the victim was moved by the school principal from a hostel where other junior students stayed to another hotel filled with senior students because he was bedwetting.
The victim looked terrified in the video. The mother prodded him to speak up about his ordeal.
“They said if he complained he will be a dead man,” Mrs Okezie said. “Please, help me share this (video) until it gets to the appropriate authorities.”
“They will remove his boxer and push their legs and hands into his anus,” the woman said.
The boy said the senior students threatened to kill him if he reported the matter to the school principal.
In another clip, the boy, wearing his school uniform, was seen throwing up inside a car when he was being taken away from the school by his mother.
Mrs Okezie said she decided to visit the school “when she dreamt about her son and felt that all is not well”.
“I had a dream, I saw my son waving me goodbye. I told my husband I have to go to the school, that this dream is not right, he said let’s pray. I said to him prayers are not enough, I have to go to the school and see what is happening,” she said.
Mrs Okezie said she reported her son’s ordeal to the school principal who assured her that the boy would be returned to junior hostel.
“Look at a child I sent to school, he came back with a broken anus.
“People who have children in boarding school don’t know what these children go through, boarding school of these days is not like the boarding school of those days,” she said.
Government reacts
The Akwa Ibom State government, Sunday, expressed concern over Mrs Okezie’s allegations.
The Commissioner for Information in the state, Ini Ememobong, said Governor Emmanuel has directed the commissioner for education “to immediately investigate these complaints and take necessary action”.
“The State Government is committed to the protection of children wherever they may be within its jurisdiction,” Mr Ememobong said.
Deeper Life High School, with 21 campuses across Nigeria, is owned by a Nigerian Pentecostal church, The Deeper Christian Life Ministry. The school has its headquarters in Lagos, South-west Nigeria.
The school said on its website that as a part of its philosophy, “It is committed to providing the highest academic standards, cultivating sound leadership skills and vision, as well as enriching lives through spiritual development.”
“The aim of all these is to produce critical thinking and Christ-honouring students who will positively and profoundly impact the larger society,” it added.
The Uyo campus of the co-educational school took off in 2016. The principal is Ndidi Solomon.
School principal suspended
The Deeper Life High School management has suspended the principal of its campus in Uyo, Mrs Solomon over the incident.
In a statement issued on Monday by the high school management in Lagos, it emphasised its core values saying it had zero tolerate to an such act.
“We will like to categorically restate that Deeper Life High School is built on the core values of godliness and excellence and will not tolerate any immoral act or molestation of any student.
“We believe Parents/ Guardians enroll their wards in our schools all over the country because of the strong perception that ours offers a sure-footed platform for moral armament and academic excellence.”
The management further assured the public that investigations into the case have commenced and no culprit, whether staff or student, will be spared if found culpable at the end of the exercise.
“As an interim measure and to underscore the seriousness we attach to higher superintending values, the school principal has been suspended summarily even as further investigations continue.”
“We firmly assure the discerning public that the overall outcome of the investigations will be made known and appropriate disciplinary actions will be meted to all culprits in this unfortunate act that admittedly threatens to cast unnecessary aspersions on a unique institution that has been shining example to all over the years.”
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