 |
| students of falomo high school |
After
an eyewitness shared on social media how final year secondary school students
sexually assaulted their female counterparts on their last day in school at
Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos, in what has been described as a “tradition”, the Lagos
State Government is said to be hunting for the students responsible.
It was learnt on Thursday
that four of the students of Ireti Grammar School, Falomo, Lagos, have been
arrested after the Lagos State Government tasked the police with tracking the
perpetrators down.
According
to the story shared by Michale Matthew, female students of Falomo Senior High
School, who had just finished their final exam were targeted by male students
of Ireti Grammar School, South West Ikoyi, who had also taken their last paper
on Wednesday.
Matthew
gave a graphic account of how some of the students pinned down their struggling
victims, as their colleagues herded around, cheering the assailants.
The
eyewitness, who apparently works in the neighbourhood, was closing for work
that day when she chanced on the scene.
She
said, “Their shouting overpowers any other sound and looking closely, I see the
most unreal thing. It is actually a boy trying to force himself on a girl with
his trousers partly down and the boys are cheering him on.
“People
are looking and some persons, the security guards in the office near us are
recording it. I open my car in disbelief and shout at the boys to break it up
while shouting at my security and the second driver to assist me.
“I
walk towards them and as I make my way towards them, I see another group and
this time they have cornered one of the girls who fell while running from them.
“I
see her kicked down, she bravely pushes herself up and another guy tries to
clear her legs and she lunges at him and then a guy takes a pair of scissors in
his hands and with one swoop tears her skirt from the bottom and also a part of
the black spandex shorts she has on underneath.
“All
this happens really in a few minutes and he proceeds to push himself into her
through her back. His trousers is open too and another one tries to do same
from the front. As this is going on, the crowd of boys are wild with frenzy,
cheering the two boys on, while grabbing at her hair, breasts and she is
fighting for dear life.
“This
is not before I get the names of the boys as George and Abiodun as the main
perpetrators, they are final year students of Ireti Grammar School SW Ikoyi.”
She
said after intervening and forcing some of the boys to flee, she personally
escorted some of the girls who clung to him for safety to the motor parks to
board vehicles to their various homes.
On
Thursday, policemen from the Adeniji Adele Police Division, the Social Welfare
Department of the Lagos State Ministry of Youths, Sports and Social Development
and officials from the deputy governor’s office stormed the schools to trace
some of the boys who could be identified as the perpetrators.
Some
of the boys were later apprehended. The police are said to still be on the
trail of other schoolboys who took part in the attacks.
On
Friday, the state Deputy Governor, Dr.Idiat Adebule, who oversees the state’s
education ministry, confirmed the arrest in a statement.
“Four
of the boys involved are already helping the law enforcement agents in
apprehending others who participated in the reckless act,” she said.
The
statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs,
Ministry
of Education, Adesegun Ogundeji, indicated that the deputy governor had assured
the public that extensive investigation will be conducted and all those found
culpable would face the consequences of their indiscipline and lawlessness.
Adebule
said, “Students are expected to be of best behaviour and shun all acts of
violence and immorality that can undermine the policy of Government on
discipline being entrenched in schools.
“The
state government won’t take kindly to the reckless attitudes of a few that
intends to drag the image built over the years in the mud.
“She
stressed that discipline must prevail for the smooth running of the schools and
acts of recklessness such as reported in the case under investigation is
totally unacceptable and would not be tolerated.”
The
deputy governor called on parents and guardians to monitor their children’s
actions in and out of their school premises.
The
state government said principals and heads of schools would not be held
responsible for instituting measures to curb indiscipline in their various
schools, warning that “anyone caught looking the other way will equally face
appropriate disciplinary actions as stipulated in the Public Service Rule.”
The
Coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Mrs.
Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said that her agency had visited the schools as part
of its investigation.
She
said, the public should expect prosecution in the case.
“We
are working to ensure that we provide a holistic response to the case. Aside
from investigation, there is also the legal aspect; possible prosecution to
ensure deterrence.
“The
Attorney-General has also given directives that the matter should be
investigated. We are working to ensure that this kind of activity does not
repeat itself again.”
She
said in the coming weeks, DSVRT would embark on sensitisation and awareness in
Lagos schools to enlighten schoolchildren, teachers and parents on sexual and
gender-based violence.
But
the Lagos State Police Command said there were no indications that the
schoolboy’s actions could be termed as sexual violence.
Spokesperson
for the command, Mr. Olarinde Famous-Cole, said that reports from the police
division in the area so far show that the case may not be rape.
He
said, “As it is, there is no indication of rape. The report the division gave
us is that students had rivalry and differences. The division called in some of
the students to the station and would also be contacting their parents as part
of the investigation. As I speak with you, the DPO said there is nothing like
rape.
“When
we have evidence through the reports of the state government, parents and the
victims, we would be able to shed more light on the nature of what took place
that day.”
But
there are indications that this practice may not be new in some Lagos schools.
A
resident of the neighbourhood, Mrs. Bisola Aderiye, told our correspondent that
usually, when students of public secondary schools in the area finish their
final exam, tearing their school uniforms while male students assault the
female have always been the usual thing.
Asked
why residents such as herself failed to do anything whenever they witness such
things, she said, “Some of those boys move around with knives and scissors.
Because some of them live around here, they always do it where we people cannot
catch them. But we are aware they do it.”
Outrage
by residents of the state continue to pour in as more people indicate that the
“tradition” is actually not new.
A
resident said, “It is a so-called normal activity for the leavers. They tear
their uniforms (while) girls are raped and abused. In fact, count yourself
lucky if raped by just a boy who protects you from being gang raped.
“Some
girls absent themselves from school. Some wear three or four cyclers as
protective wears; some bribe or pay for their freedom.”
Source:Punch