The Lagos State Police Command on Friday arrested a teacher at Fazir-I-Omar Senior High School in Iwaya, Yaba area of the state for allegedly forcing an 18-year-old pupil, Mary (not real name), to perform oral sex on him in return for marks.
Mary, who is from Abia State and resides in Makoko, had earlier in the month confessed to a Punch reporter how she had barely spent a month at the school when the teacher allegedly asked her to give him oral sex in exchange for marks.
According to the Senior Secondary School II student, narrated how on two different occasions, she succumbed to pressure and how the teacher allegedly further demanded for sex if she wanted to pass the subject he teaches.
Mary, said the first time she gave the teacher oral sex was when she was 16 years old and in SS1, while the second time was when she was in SS2.
She said, “When I first got to Fazir-I-Omar Senior High School in 2016, I was in SS1. The teacher was the first to come to my class. He is feared by many of us.
“I was seated in the second seat in the third row in a class of about 100 pupils. Anytime he was teaching, he would throw a marker at anyone of us to answer a quiz.”
Mary said one day, the teacher threw the marker at her but that, as she couldn’t answer the question, he flogged her with a cane and that was how her ordeal began.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Bala Elkana, confirmed the arrest of the teacher while speaking to reporters.
He identified the suspect as one Akintunde Ajayi, who is 39 years old.
Elkana said, “The teacher’s name is Akintunde Ajayi and he is 39.”
“I must commend The PUNCH for the detailed report because the information provided therein has helped us, he continued.
“We moved into action when we read it and we have the said teacher in custody and we are making efforts to find out whether there are other victims in the school, apart from the girl that raised the alarm.”
Elkana added that the Police was working with other stakeholders to conduct in-depth investigations into the matter.
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation which campaigns against sexual abuse and violence against women, Jewels Hive Initiative, has called on the Lagos State Ministry of Education, the Police and other authorities to ensure that justice prevails in Mary’s case.
JHI’s founder, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Falaiye, said the organisation has rehabilitated the victim and would provide further assistance to her and her family.
Falaiye also demanded the Lagos State Ministry of Education to re-enrol the victim in another school in the state for her to be healed of her trauma.
Additional report from Punch.ng
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