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Fred Itua, Abuja
The Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Education, has vowed to deal decisively with anyone found guilty in the alleged sodomisation of a male minor in the FCT School for the Deaf.
Permanent secretary of the Ministry of Education, Sonny Ochono, said this while speaking to journalists during an investigative tour of the school in Kuje, Abuja.
Ochono said: “If any child has been cannibalised in this school, if children are being physically assaulted or sexually molested, we close the school and people would be hanged in this country, the full weight of the law would be brought to bear.
“That particular case is a special case and we have concluded that there was definitely an abuse of that child. What we don’t know at this stage is when, where and how that child was abused. The details would be concluded when we conclude the exercise here.
“We came here with the assumption that it might have occurred here (School for the Deaf, Kuje). Even independent people who knew the child before now have given testimonies about the child. It would take a matter of days, in fact before the end of the week.
“If we find out from the results, it is the final stage of the results that would guide what action we would take, but this is final stage. But if we find out it is not true, the reverse would be the case.
“We are here on preliminary report, we have been doing the investigation in a covered manner before now and for more than a week there are certain things we have been doing here without talking about it, unfortunately, it was escalated yesterday on the radio, that is why it is now in the open; our investigation is now at the final stage, a lot has been done between Ministry of Education and FCTA and the police.
“We will address Nigerians on what has been found out, the issues are grievous. It has to do with national security, it also borders on the right of a child and child abuse. I won’t be able to talk openly but there is a security report already.
“Let me also appeal that, if there is any parent, whether current or in the past, whose child has disappeared or died in mysterious circumstances or they could not find the body of their child, please that parent parent, in the last 10 years, should contact us to let us know. If you have any information on mysterious circumstances, even if it is not your child and it is another parent but you heard the child disappeared in this school, please, let us know.
“We have inspected the premises, and the school is fenced; we have looked at the students physically and the medical examinations are ongoing as I speak with you and we have met with parents and we have sourced for their consent to examine their children and they gave us their consent.
“We have also contacted parents individually in the last three weeks to get information and we have also collated the information. And, by some of the findings, we decided it is better to have physical medical examination of the students, that one cannot be hidden. We want to assure all parents that the true results would be revealed to Nigerians.”
On Monday, an anchor of a radio programme in Abuja alerted security agencies after a parent, Dr. Hannatu Ayuba Usman, said her deaf child was sodomised, and forced to drink human blood and eat human flesh while at school.
The victim, Imran, six, according to his parents, was born deaf with heart defect. He was operated on when he was two years old.
His grandmother, Salamatu Abubakar Amina, who said Imran had narrated the incident that occurred while he was in school through sign language, said the pupils were also drugged during visiting days so that the parents have no clue of the matter.
Narrating the incident on the show, Amina said: “He had just spent one term at the Abuja School for the Deaf, Kuje. I washed his things and arranged everything in his school box. When he was told we were taking him back to school, he said ‘school’?”
