Date: 2019-02-19

...claim not true - School counsellor

The management of one of the most prominent private schools in Ilorin, Kwara State; Flora Schools, will soon be spending their days in the court of law for alleged bully, expulsion and maltreatment of a 9-year-old pupil, Zayaad Muhammad.

Muhammad's grandmother, Hajia Mustapha Ramat Olufunmilayo, through the Chambers of an Ilorin-based human right activist, Sambo Muritala & Co. filed a Direct Criminal Complaint (DCC) against the proprietress of the school, Dr. (Mrs.) Florence Onyejekwe, the Principal, Mrs Oluwagbemisola Adeniken, the Head Mistress (HM), Mr Oseni Braimah and the school counsellor, Babawale Joseph.

According to the complaint charge, the school management was alleged to have committed criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, mischief, cruelty to children, defamation, causing grievous hurt and criminal intimidation, contrary to section 97(2), 322, 327, 312, 327, 397 and 238 of penal code.

The grandmother, who claimed to have enrolled her ward at Flora at the age of four said the school has failed to take adequate monitoring of its wards saying they were exposed to all manners of dangers without supervision. The complainant further alleged that she had made several whines against the development but all to no avail.

"Each time the complainant made move to withdraw her grandson, she would be promised improvement. Sometimes in the last session, the boy was severely wounded by the school bus as he sustained fractures in his leg. The complainant spent time and money to heal the child. He spent two months in pain nursing the wounds," the direct complaint stated.

It added that the complainant and parents of two other pupils; Isaac Ojo Adekunle and Sodiq Abdulsalam were invited to the school last term.

While playing host to their invited customers, the direct complaint revealed that an audio of how Mohammed, Adekunle and Abdulsalam were molesting a Primary 1 pupil was played.

But when Mohammed's grandmother probed the veracity of the audio, the complaint charge alleged that the three pupils were mercilessly beaten, induced and threatened that their male genital organs will be cut off if they did not say what was recorded in the audio.

"When the complainant got home, she asked her grandson what happened and he told her that the defendants threatened to cut their male organs if they did not say what they were asked to say in the recording after being beaten mercilessly," the complaint added.

Upon bringing Muhammed to school after paying his tuition this term, the complaint charge maintain that he was bullied out of the school by the defendants and other pupils saying others involved in the audio scandal have been cleared.

"The defendant said they've cleared Adekunle and Abdulsalam but they'll not allow her grandson to attend the school anymore..."

When contacted on the telephone, the school counselor, who identified himself as Afolabi, denied the allegation but maintained that Muhammed had been expelled by the school authority.

"We did not maltreat anybody, if you report wrong information, you know you can be sued, if you want to get the full story of what happened, you come officially to the school tomorrow (Monday). If we want to go by the law, the boy should go to Borstal station..."