Metro
FGC Sex Romp: Culprits Are on Indefinite Suspension, Says Principal
The management of the Federal Government College, Ijaniki, Lagos State, has denied allegations of covering up some students caught absconding from school to lodge female classmates in a hotel for sex romps.
The Principal, Mrs Tofunmi Akamo, who spoke to The Punch on Wednesday, said the students, numbering six, were picked up from the hotel by the school, adding that the incident happened once.
PUNCH Metro had reported that some boarders jumped the school’s fence with their female counterparts and lodged in hotels for sexual pleasure.
It was also reported that for more than three sessions, including the just-concluded first term, some of the students left the school unnoticed.
But the principal said the incident of students absconding from school to lodge in a hotel happened once.
She claimed that the school management noticed the absence of the students during an urgent roll call at the hostel.
She said, “Our assignment is to mold them and we don’t expect all of them to behave well all the time. So, when they misbehave, it is our duty to do the necessary correction.
“I was called from the school that they did a roll call on Sunday and some students were discovered not to be in the hostel.
“So, that Monday morning, they called their parents to confirm if they were at home and the parents said they were not at home. The parents came to the school; we were all searching and investigating what could have happened.
“One of the parents of those girls told us that the girls went to the hotel, jumping the fence on Sunday. We went to the hotel to evacuate them. They were five that were evacuated; two boys and three girls.
“When they came to the school, we asked them to write reports; it was through the report that we even discovered that there was another girl who left on Monday to come back to school, while others still remained in the hotel.
“We made them write their reports and they faced a disciplinary committee, which gave a verdict on what to be done to them according to the guidelines given to us from the ministry.
“The children are currently on indefinite suspension; that is the guideline recommended for them. We normally involve their parents and hand such letters and their children to them. The girls and the boys are no longer in the dormitories. That is the only incident that happened and it happened two or three weeks before we vacated this last term.”
Akamo described allegations that the students used drugs as unfounded.
“Late last session when they were writing an external examination, we discovered that some boys were not in the hostel during roll check and we learnt that they normally went to a nightclub around our school.
“My chief security officer went there around 9pm and at that time they had not arrived at the club. So, the owner of the club collected the number of my CSO so that he would inform him.
“By 11pm, they called my CSO and by 1am we brought about 10 of them back to school. One of them was my assistant head boy and immediately, we had an assembly; I brought all of them out and de-badged the prefects among them.
“I also asked them to leave the dormitories; but they could be coming to sit their external examinations, which they were writing at that time. I told them they could no longer stay in the hostel.
“There is no history of anybody getting pregnant as a student. We knew one of the girls had one million naira in her account. I am sure this child has been showing all of these things at home. It cannot be that it was inside the school that she learnt how to go and make money from sex.
“The only time we had an issue of a pregnancy in the school was a blind girl. The lady got pregnant during COVID-19 at a place she used to go to play with people. After we did a test and we discovered she was pregnant, we invited the father and she left the school. I told her that she could not stay in the school because we are training young girls and not mothers-to-be.
“The claim by the PTA chairman that one of the students impregnated another student is not true. There is nothing like that; I am not aware and if that happens I will know.”
The Global President of the Old Students Association of the school, Toun Aderele, said the school management committee, which comprised all stakeholders of the school was saddled with the responsibility of making decisions on such issues.
Aderele added that the recommendation of the committee was always sent to the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja for conclusion.
She also lamented that some parents had been frustrating the efforts of the school authority in instilling discipline.
She said, “There is a lot of resistance from parents. In fact, there are times parents challenge the authorities on why they should bring their children out and why they should take a certain decision.
“The old students association is always on the heels of the management to ensure that they live up to expectation. The principal has absolutely no wrong in this matter; she has stood as a principal, mother and taken all the necessary decisions.”
The Executive Director, Special Duties, National Association of Nigerian Students, Oladimeji Uthman, said the student body would constitute a committee to look into the matter.
Uthman described the act allegedly committed by the students as barbaric and disheartening.
The Punch
Justice Njideka Nwosu-Iheme of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, has sentenced the husband of late gospel singer, Osinachi, Peter Nwachukwu, to death by hanging.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme found him guilty of culpable homicide resulting in the death of the deceased on April 8, 2022.
The judge sentenced Nwachukwu to death while sentencing him after the court had held that the prosecution had proven the burden of proof placed on it by the law and subsequently found the defendant guilty.
Nwachukwu was arraigned on June 3, 2022, by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (OAGF), on behalf of the Federal Government, on a 23-count charge bordering on culpable homicide punishable with death, criminal intimidation, cruelty to children, criminal intimidation of children, spousal battery, among others.
In the course of trial, the prosecution called 17 witnesses, including two children of the late Osinachi, who testified as fourth prosecution and fifth prosecution witnesses, PW4 and PW5 respectively, while it tendered 25 documents as exhibits before the court.
The defendant testified for the defence and further called four other witnesses and tendered four exhibits in his defence.
Shortly before sentencing the defendant, counsel for Nwachukwu, Reginald Nwali, pleaded with the court to be lenient in its judgment, while the prosecuting counsel, Mrs Aderonke Imala, urged the court to give force to the law as stipulated.
Justice Nwosu-Iheme subsequently sentenced Nwachukwu to death by hanging on Count 1, while he was sentenced to two years imprisonment each on Counts 2, 3, 8,9, 12, 13, and 18.
The court sentenced the defendant to six months imprisonment on Count 10, three years imprisonment on Count 11, while he was fined the sum of N500,000 and N200,000 respectively on Counts 6 and 7, respectively.
The late gospel artist who had several tracks, including Ekwueme died on April 8, 2022, at the age of 42. Her death triggered outrage in the country, with fans and Nigerians calling for justice for the singer.
In a heartwarming display of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Prostar Sport International, a renowned sports equipment and apparel company, has partnered with the ‘Pad Me A Girl Initiative,’ to promote menstrual health awareness and empower young girls.
The project enunciated by Gatmash Media has commended the company, renowned for providing high-quality sports dresses, has supported the initiative with customized shirts.
Theresa Moses, Convener of the Pad Me A Girl Initiative said “We’re thrilled to have Prostar Sports International on board this initiative. Their customized shirts will not only promote our cause but also serve as a symbol of solidarity with the girls we’re working to support”.
Mr. Paul Maduakor, CEO of Prostar Sports International said “At Prostar Sports International, we believe in empowering young girls and promoting menstrual health awareness. We’re proud to support the Pad Me A Girl Initiative and contribute to a more inclusive and supportive community”.
The shirts feature a bold design with the Pad Me A Girl Initiative’s logo. This is aimed to promote menstrual health awareness and obliterates stigmas attached to it. It was disclosed that the shirts are made from high-quality, breathable fabric for comfort and durability.
The initiative has made significant impact, and has reached over 2,000 young girls and women in Abuja and Benue IDP camps, and has provided reusable sanitary pads and menstrual health education, empowering girls to manage their menstruation with dignity.
The next phase of the project will kick off in June/July 2025, with plans to expand the initiative’s reachout and impact. Through the ‘Access PAD Me A Girl,’ PAD Bank, young girls will continue to receive free sanitary pads every month, empowering them to manage their menstrual health with dignity.
Zion Prayer Movement Outreach, a non-denominational ministry, on Monday opened the first ever Old People’s Home and Orphanage in Imo State.
The Seraphic Home, located in Mgbirichi, Ohaji Egbema, near Owerri, was commissioned by Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, who described it as a watershed in the provision of care for the elderly, needy and less privileged.
Uzodimma praised the Spiritual Director of Zion Ministry, Evangelist Chukwuebuka Obi, for “thinking home” and bringing meaningful development to the state, adding that he was delighted with the choice of Imo State for such an impactful project.
According to the governor, “Evangelist Ebuka’s decision to expand the ministry’s operations in Imo has placed the state on a path to greater global recognition” —a vision he said he had foreseen when initially allocating land for the ministry’s headquarters in Ngor Okpala.
Evangelist Ebuka Obi, in his welcome remarks, said that the home was built to provide care for orphans and the elderly, especially those without anyone to support them. He invited the elderly with no caregivers to take advantage of the facility, which offers free accommodation and care.
“This state-of-the-art facility will provide a safe and nurturing environment for orphans and elderly individuals, offering them a sense of belonging and care. The home will provide shelter, food, clothing, education, and healthcare, and ensure that the residents receive the support they need to thrive,” Evangelist Ebuka disclosed. He said that the home would provide comprehensive care for old people and orphans free of charge, adding that more of such projects would be cited in other parts of the country.
The Seraphic Orphanage and Home for the Elderly will be a safe space for vulnerable populations to receive care and support and provide opportunities for community engagement and volunteerism and a platform for skills development and capacity building for caregivers and staff, Ebuka concluded.
Zion Ministry’s Seraphic Home foundation is a non-profit charitable organization with the objective of touching and impacting lives positively and promoting the welfare of others. It runs a whole range of programmes which support disadvantaged and impoverished families by providing scholarships for different levels of Education for over 60 children yearly as well as funding for patients who are unable to afford life-sustaining treatment and pay hospital bills for various health challenges.
