Alleged Rape: Lagos State Government Closes Down Chrisland Schools

By Akinwale Kasali and Uche Mbah

The alleged Rape of a 10-Year Old Student of Chrisland School by her colleagues during a Dubai trip has put the high profile Chrisland Schools in trouble.

For not reporting or handling it, and for trying to cover it up, and Indefinitely suspending the student, the Lagos State Government has ordered an  immediate closure of the Schools.

The Lagos State Government in a statement on Monday, said the sexual abuse of the minor was being investigated.

The Government in the statement shared by Jubril A. Gawat, @Mr_JAGs, media aide to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of the State, announced the closure of the schools pending the outcome of investigations.

The statement 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.”

The mother of the Girl had alleged that the School carried out a pregnancy test on their daughter without notifying the parent.

It also added that parent wasn’t aware of the rape and the circulated sex video that was trending on the internet.

The family called on Nigerians to come to its rescue as the School has been threatening to deal and allegedly kill their child if she spills the beans of what happened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates trip.

The mother of the pupil alleged that the school tried to cover up the incident from them till another parent showed her the video of the incident. The aggrieved mother further claimed that the school threatened to kill her daughter if she ever spoke about the incident.

“A parent called me that she needed to see me urgently. I went to her house and she told me that something had been trending in Chrisland and she believes I was not aware. The woman showed me the video and told me that all the parents are aware. Immediately I informed my husband.

“Please I am begging Nigerians to help me because Chrisland was trying to hide this issue. They were trying to push us out of the way and my daughter was affected psychologically. Please I need help as a mother. I am begging fellow Nigerians to help me.

“They have been threatening my daughter that if she speaks out they are going to kill her. That it is a man’s world and nothing would happen. My daughter was dying in silence,” she said in parts of the video.

The mother of the pupil further stated ever since they confronted the school about the incident, they suspended her daughter.

“Because we have started confronting them that we are aware of what they did, the school sent her a suspension letter.

“When my daughter explained to me what happened, she said that they went out in the morning to have breakfast and one of the boys, Kachi, begged her to borrow him her phone charger which she obliged. After they had dinner, Kachi called her room that she should come and take her charger. She went there for her charger.

“When she got into the room, one of them said she should take her charger from the toilet it was when she entered the toilet, that they hijacked her and told her to take a substance, so they were all under the influence. She said after that she did not know what she was doing again. They told her to be climbing them and someone stood there videoing them and posting it out,” she said.

Music Executive, Ubi Franklin, was the first to reveal the rape saga. In a series of tweets,  Ubi mentioned that the little girl was selected to represent her school in a competition in Dubai. He said while at the competition, the girl was raped by a group of fellow students.

She was also video-taped and the video was posted on Instagram a month ago.

According to Ubi, the distraught parents found out after another parent in the school alerted them.

”Just got off the phone with a friend of mine. His 10 year old daughter was selected to represent her school at the World School Games in Dubai. His daughter was r**ped by fellow students, video taped and posted on Instagram…The school concealed it for a month.

”He found out on his own when another parent called his wife and showed his wife the video of his 10 year old daughter being circulated on Instagram. I have spent the last 1hour listening to confessional statements by some teachers… I am begging this should rather be a dream.”

Responding to the allegation, the School said it formally notified the parents of the young girl of her suspension; for allegedly joining ”a few other co-learners to carry out immoral act after the lights out instruction was given”.

The School said the girl joined other students of Chrisland School to play a game of ‘truth or dare’; which led to her being gang-raped by the minors.

Thereafter, the 10-year-old female pupil was suspended by the school. This came after she was allegedly taken for a pregnancy test without the knowledge of her parents. Reports indicate that the boys involved have also been suspended.

The pupils had visited Dubai in March to participate in the World School Games which held between March 10-13, 2022. The school was celebrated for carrying out an impressive display and winning about 34 medals.