Teacher in Lagos held over alleged abuse of 15-year-old student

An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court has sent a lesson teacher, named Michael, to the Ikoyi Correctional Centre. This is over the alleged abuse of a 15-year-old student in the Ketu area of Lagos State.

The Lagos State Police Command shared this update on Friday. This came days after PUNCH Metro reported the alleged rape and claims that some police officers tried to block the case from going forward.

PUNCH Metro reported that the mother of the survivor, Mrs Zainab Musa, accused some police officers. She said they pressured her family to accept N200,000 and drop the case.

On Tuesday, CSP Abimbola Adebisi, the police spokesperson, responded to the allegation. She called it “a mere allegation” and said it was not true.

Adebisi stressed that the case was still under investigation. She promised that the suspect would be prosecuted. “The case is still ongoing, and the suspect will be arraigned in court as soon as he is fit to face justice,” she said.

Adebisi explained that the case was reported at the Ketu Police Station on July 13. The suspect was arrested and detained on the same day for questioning.

She added that the suspect collapsed on July 15 while they were getting ready to take him to court in front of the survivor and her mother. “He was immediately rushed to the Lagos State Emergency Hospital at Toll Gate, where he was admitted and later moved to Gbagada General Hospital,” she said.

On Friday, Adebisi confirmed that the suspect had been taken to the Ogudu Magistrates’ Court and was remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre.

“The suspect has been arraigned before the Ogudu Magistrates’ Court and remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre,” she said. She added that the case was postponed until August 24 for the next hearing.

PUNCH Metro had reported that Michael allegedly sexually assaulted the teenager several times inside the tutorial centre. He also threatened her to keep quiet about the incidents.

After news broke that the suspect was in the hospital following his collapse, Ololade Ajayi, the founder of DOHS Cares Foundation, spoke out. This NGO fights against gender-based violence and keeps an eye on femicide cases. Ajayi urged the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to make sure the suspect does not escape justice.