The Lagos State government has announced the immediate shut down of all branches of Chrisland Schools in various parts of the state indefinitely over an alleged sexual abuse of one of its pupils.
This followed the circulation of a controversial video on social media platforms where the pupils of the school were engaged in an immoral act during a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
This was made known in a statement issued by the state government on Monday amid controversy over the issue, in which it said the matter was being investigated.
What the Lagos State Government is saying in the statement
The government in its statement said that in the meantime all Chrisland Schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations.
- The statement from the Lagos State Government reads, “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland Schools which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
- “It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State Domestic & Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.
- “In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and pscyho social support is provided.
- “This is to reassure members of the public of the State Government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centered institutions within the state, formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order (NO.EO/AA08 of 2016), Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Program.
- “We also use this medium to remind the general public that any person who engages in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to custodial sentence of fourteen (14) years. This includes “producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography.
- “In the meantime, all Chrisland Schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations.”
What you should know
- Recall that a few days ago, there were reports of a video being circulated on social media platforms where the pupils of the elite private school located in Victoria Garden City, Chrisland School, were engaged in sexual acts during a trip to Dubai for the World School Games between March 10 and 13, 2022.
- Following the incident, the school authorities suspended the female student indefinitely, stating that she was “a major actor” in an “immoral act”.
- However, the mother of the student claimed that her daughter was drugged and raped by some male students of the school.
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These things have come a long way. The supervising bodies at both public and private school levels have failed Nigerians. Visit most Federal Government Colleges, and you will swoon at the challenges you could be faced with as a parent. Our wards are usually quiet about most of the things that happen to and around them. The military-run primary schools, where one expects a good measure of discipline to thrive, are not better – cultism at primary school level has been going on since the 1980s that I know of. The private schools (both primary and secondary) where parents are made to pay through their nose for an under-par standard of education are known to run institutions where our children go to hone their skills in the arts of criminology. They graduate specialists in the art of speaking good English language at the expense of other core subjects, which explains one of the main reasons why the traffic at the narrow gates of JAMB is thick. Only a sea-wave change could redress the situation. As for the boarding system, it has become a place of nightmares for our children. You may not know it unless as a parent, you take particular interest in what transpires within the system. I am making this statement from the advantage of over 40 years of experience as a parent.