The Management of Greater Scholars school and Greater Scholars International Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools, Lagos, has refuted allegations of sexual abuse against their employee, by a couple whose female child is a pupil of the school.
In a statement signed by Mrs. Oyesanya for the management, the couple has alleged that their four-year old female child was sexually assaulted by a security staff of Greater Scholars staff school, but without waiting on the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP’s) advice, the parents of the child in question have resorted to defamatory campaign and blackmail against the schools.
The schools maintained that, though the parents of the child have launched media campaign them in the last four months, howbeit, its management has affirmed that the allegation remain unfounded and meritless.
“As a school, we take seriously the protection, safety, and well-being of our pupils. However, the staff against whom this allegation was made have strongly denied the allegation. The innocent 4-year-old child in question was never sexually assaulted by a staff of the school.
“The defamatory campaign launched in the media by the parents and their shadowy surrogates are intended to blackmail the school and extort money. The incident is alleged to have happened at the ‘Staff school’ facility which is entirely a separate location from Greater Scholars International Nursery, Primary and Secondary School.
“But they have in the past four months continue to misrepresent the facts in social media and in the mainstream media. Clearly, their motives are to influence the outcome of the investigations and prejudice the minds of other parents and the public at large. They shall fail in their deceptive propaganda in a bid to force the school to reach settlement of any sort”
They reiterated that rape and child defilement are serious issues and should never be used as a ruse by manipulative parents to blackmail schools and extort money from individuals.
“We urge the general public to beware of the desperate antics of this couple, who have variously used the 4-year old child in question in their media campaign antics, including posting pictures of the child and using the child’s voice, thereby exposing the child to abuse.
“We particularly call on law enforcement agencies and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, (DSVA), Ministry of Youth & Social Development to urgently consider filing an application for Emergency Child Protection Order for the 4 -year old child in question.
Greater Scholars assured that they were fully committed to safeguarding the best interest of their pupils and students and implement the rights of the child as prescribed in the Child Rights Law of Lagos State 2015.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with the police, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, and other agencies of government to unravel the truth and expose the dubious activities of this couple” they assured.