• Family, parents seek justice • We’re still investigating it, say police
Family members of a 14-year-old female student of Federal Government Girls College, Oyo, and parents in the school have called for justice over alleged sexual assault and molestation of the pupil by her teacher, one Mr. Timothy Alayoteti. Addressing the media in Ibadan, the concerned parents alleged that the teacher in question had serially sexually abused other students in the school. Fed up with the latest assault of the 14-year-old girl, the family and concerned parents reported the teacher to the police, leading to his arrest by the Oyo State Police Command.
Narrating the incident, an elder sister to the 14-year-old victim, Mercy Gabriel, said the teacher, Alayoteti, started abusing the girl when she was 12. Gabriel disclosed that her sister had not been mentally stable since the incident, which forced the family to take her to a psychologist for check-up. She said: “My sister came home with her siblings moody. So I asked her what happened and persuaded her to talk to me, but she refused. A month after, she and one of the PTA representative came to my shop and told me the whole story,that my little sister was molested and sexually abused by her teacher, one Mr. Alayoteti. Also, testifying, one of the representatives of the Parents’ forum of the school, Mrs. Nancy Faniran said timely intervention of the parents’ forum led to the arrest of the suspect. She said: “In our investigation, we were able to locate the girl and the molester (Timothy Oyebode Alayoteti). “He has been molesting the girl since she was in JSS3, when she was 12 years old. He has damaged the girl physically and psychologically. “Timothy has been arrested and detained at the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (CIID), Iyaganku, Ibadan. “We call this meeting to let the people know about the dastardly act and ensure that justice is done. Any effort to scuttle the case will lead to violence.” Reacting, the Oyo State Police Command, said the matter was being investigated.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Adewale Osifeso said: “Investigation was ongoing.”
MEANWHILE, the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Oyo State Chapter, has called on Minister of Education, Adam Adamu, Governor Seyi Makinde and other relevant authorities to investigate the allegation of sexual harassment and molestation of female students at Federal Government Girls’ College (FGGC), Oyo. The chairperson of NAWOJ, Comrade Jadesola Ajibola, who stated this during a press conference at Ibadan, expressed concerns about some happenings in the all girls’ boarding schools of the Federal Government, which she described as a negative impact on the life and future of many students.
According to her, some concerned parents of the school wrote a petition to the association that many girls have been regularly abused and violated by persons, who are expected to be teachers, guardians and mentors to the students. “Our attention has been drawn to the alleged continuous harassment and molestation of some school girls by teachers over the years with many cases swept under the carpet. “As an association that advocates for child rights, we cannot close our eyes to this menace that can truncate the future of children, especially when we consider the fact that we have been invited to take on the case, “she said. Ajibola condemned the alleged sexual harassment of the female students, adding that the leadership of the school ought to have set up a panel to investigate the dangerous trend reported by concerned parents of the school. “We urged the Oyo State Police Command to speed up investigations and start prosecution of the accused teacher before a court of competent jurisdiction within the state, without delay,” Ajibola added.