It is no longer news, the alleged cases of sexual abuse at Stephen Centre International School Abeokuta, Southwest Nigeria with deaf ears or little attention from the Director of the centre who is said to have allegedly neck-deeped.
The school was originally meant to serve as an orphanage home to children who were orphaned or lost either mother or father to past series of violence in parts of the North, especially Jos, Kaduna, Kano as well as the insurgency in the North East.
Such orphans were formally brought to the centre with the endorsement of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN.
The centre seen as an orphanage home was said to be getting funds from various donor agencies in USA, Netherlands, Poland, Canada and churches in Nigeria.
But it got to a point sometime in year 2007, when the Director was allegedly defiling the inmates who were between the ages of 12 and 15.
The allegation then got to the ears of the Parents Teachers Association of the school under the then leadership of Mr.Eric Lanre Ibiyemi who was said to have waded in, but with deaf ears from the school authorities.
Speaking to newsmen in Abeokuta, the former Parents’ Teachers Association’s (PTA) Chairman, Lanre Ibiyemi amplified the allegations and the efforts he put in, to check the Sexual exploitation.
He said that there were adjoining doors to the Director’s office and had seen a mattress and could be a possibility that the Director was using the room for such devilish act.
“When l was the PTA Chairman and noticed the issue of child abuse and sexual harassment, l tried to wade into the matter. “There was a case of a CRK teacher, Mr. Ola who was caught red handed with SS1 female student. When the story got to Rev. Newton-Wusu, he sacked the teacher just to cover up. “But there have been stories that he himself is involved in such act.
“Even l noticed in my daughter’s phone some emotional texts from a teacher such as, hello sweetie, hello my wife; I told Rev .Newton-Wusu. l don’t like what l am seeing on my daughter’s phone. His response was not encouraging. I had to go personally to warn the teacher. I must say the level of immorality is very permissive. Each time l wants to wade into the matter, he distances himself. Then he did the impossible. The PTA was proscribed”, he said.
One of the parents who lamented over the unfortunate situation said “The reason why we are here in Abeokuta is to know more about what our children have told us about happenings in Stephens’ school and we are not happy about these ungodly acts.
“We know that they have helped us but we don’t like what is happening.
“So we are here to call on government to help us in this matter. We know God is on our side. God would help us and whoever thinks he is something and turns what God has given him to another thing different, God is also looking at us all. Because our husbands died and we are looked upon as those who don’t have hope. Our hope is in God.
“Our children have been telling us awful stories which had been a source of worries for us. Three of my children had passed through this school. The fourth one l have withdrawn due to all these unhealthy stories” she said.