Juliana Francis
Members of the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN) have started looking into a case where a proprietress’s daughter identified as Tumise, allegedly assaulted a five-year-old Nursery II pupil in school with teeth and fingernails.
The incident was said to have occurred at the private school located in Lawanson Road, Itire, Lagos State.
According to the mandated reporter who brought the matter to the attention of the ACVPN, this was not the first time that Tumise, who is a teacher in the school, had abused pupils.
According to reports, Tumise often uses her fingernails and teeth on the pupils
The five-year-old victim according to the report was in pain as a result of the torture she suffered at the hands of theTumise.
Members of ACVPN wondered why the matter had not reached the table of the appropriate authorities. There were insinuations that the victim’s mother might be owing the school, which was why she failed to make a formal report.
Another mandated reporter also alleged that the proprietress beat up one of the pupils with a wood that had a nail on it which kept the pupil away from school for almost two weeks.
ACVPN representative, Comrade Afeez Aina, who visited the school on a fact-finding mission, was told that Tumise was dismissed immediately after the incident
Comrade Afeez further reached out to the five-year-old mother who surprisingly told Afeez that the case had been settled.
This got Afeez worried since he could not comprehend any parent accepting settle following the torture the child was subjected to by Tumise.
It was also ironic that the victim’s father, identified as Owolabi, who claimed to be a full-time teacher in one of the schools in Lagos, called and threatened Afeez that he would get him arrested for insisting on following the case to its logical conclusion. Owolabi maintained that his family and the school had settled the matter amicably.
Owolabi was said to have falsely accused Aina of demanding money and making advances at his wife, these allegations are not true, which ACVPN has decided not to handle with kids gloves.
