A private school in Ogun State’s Arepo area finds itself embroiled in a deeply unsettling controversy as two parents accuse the institution of secretly making incisions on their young children. While the parents firmly assert the mysterious marks appeared after their children returned from school, the school vehemently denies any involvement, leading to a tense standoff and the school’s temporary closure.

The allegations suggest that these incisions have led to health complications in the affected pupils.

 

Abosede, the mother of four-year-old Alamin, recounted discovering an incision on her son’s stomach on March 2. She initially noticed the mark after Alamin complained of persistent itching. Three weeks later, her son fell ill, and doctors at the hospital confirmed the incision had caused an infection.

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Similarly, Oluwatoyin Adurogboye observed changes in her three-year-old daughter, Karla, upon her return from school on February 28, shortly before the child also fell ill.

 

School Denies Allegations, Points to Inconsistencies

Abimbola Olawunmi, the Director of the accused school (name withheld for privacy), has strongly refuted the claims, stating that the incisions did not occur within the school premises and that there is no evidence to support such an assertion. Olawunmi claims to have provided the parents with ample evidence to disprove their allegations.

“The parents came on March 11 to lodge the complaints that they saw strange marks on their children,” Olawunmi explained. “They showed me, and the girl said ‘aunty’ rubbed pepper on her back. Number one, the school does not address anyone as ‘aunty’.”
Olawunmi further challenged the parents’ timeline and logic: “The parents said it was the school and I said could you not have thought of other people? Even though it happened in the school, wouldn’t that child go with pain and fresh wounds and blood stains? The other boy was in school till last week Friday, so when did it happen that there was no record?”

 

The director suggested alternative possibilities, noting that the parents were acquainted and that one had referred the other to the school. She also raised questions about individuals with whom the parents leave their children, including sales girls and their relatives.

 

Regarding the specific details of the allegations, Olawunmi stated that the mother of the girl initially claimed her child pointed to an “aunty,” but later recanted. Olawunmi highlighted the school’s policy of teachers being addressed by their names, a fact known by all students.

 

CCTV Footage and Delayed Notification

Addressing concerns about CCTV footage, Olawunmi admitted to a technical glitch that was resolved by an engineer on March 11. However, she asserts that footage from the alleged incident day was recovered.

 

“When we went to the police station, the father spent two hours and saw how the child moved around until the child sat down to have the next class from 12 pm till 1:45 pm and from that time, they will start preparing them to go home by 2 pm. So, who will now go and do an incision during that period?” she questioned. She also cited a power outage in the estate since February 26 as a reason for potential gaps in footage, which she has records of.

 

Olawunmi also criticized the parents for not notifying the school immediately upon discovering the incisions. “I called the mother of the girl on March 9, and I said how is the girl doing and she said she had just been discharged. She did not tell me she found an incision on her. The other woman, her son still attended school on March 7.

 

She did not say there was any incision on her son. I stand my ground that the incisions did not happen in my school. Everybody knows that the spot of the incisions will bring out blood, even if you wipe it, there will still be some sticky things that will be on the flesh.”

 

DSS Investigates as Tensions Rise

The controversy has escalated significantly, leading to the school’s temporary closure and students being prevented from entering before closing hours, sparking further protests from other concerned parents who have largely come out in defense of the school, insisting such an act is impossible there.

 

In a new development, the parents have now involved the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the matter. A relative of one of the parents, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed to PUNCH Metro on Saturday that the DSS has commenced an investigation. The petition was initially lodged in Lagos but was transferred to Ogun State due to jurisdiction.

 

Meanwhile, officials from the Ogun State Ministry of Education reportedly attempted to lock the school on Thursday, a move that was resisted by the school management, further highlighting the deep divisions and unresolved nature of this distressing case.

The community awaits the outcome of the DSS investigation to shed light on these serious allegations.