Mother and businesswoman, Mrs Joseph Sedoo, speaks to AJIBADE OMAPE about how her 10-year-old son was sodomised by a 22-year-old teacher in his school under the pretence of helping him (son) to practise for a prize-winning competition
How did you learn about the incident involving your son and his teacher?
The incident happened on October 25, 2024. My son returned from school and told me there was an ongoing competition in his school, and his class teacher fixed his name there. He said the winner of the competition would take millions of naira home. My son said a drama competition would also take place. He told me he answered questions and his ‘uncle’ gifted him something. He spelt the questions out for me when I demanded to know them.
The teacher sent his phone number to me through my son, stating that he planned to pick him up on Saturday. I declined and told my son that if the teacher came, he should call me. However, I never received any call from the teacher. When I later asked my son about it, he said he waited for the teacher downstairs but didn’t see him.
What happened subsequently?
On one fateful day while in my shop, someone called me from the school, asking that I rush down. Upon my arrival, I asked what the problem was; some teachers pleaded with me not to get angry, and I obliged. My son said one of his friends in the school told the mother that he would not go to that school again. The student refused to say what happened, adding that he was scared of his teacher. This was the same teacher preparing my son for the so-called competition.
The parent brought the boy to school and went to confront the teacher. The student after much persuasion and threats confessed that the teacher had asked to sleep with him. At that time, other teachers had noticed the gifting gesture of the suspect towards my son.
The daughter of the proprietress and a teacher asked my son to explain why his teacher always bought him something; he said it was because he answered questions in the class, and the teachers threatened him to talk further or risk getting punished.
My son said his teacher warned him not to tell anybody, or he would be beaten. The teachers pressured my son to talk and he confessed, saying there was a day the ‘uncle’ called him to come outside and asked them to go to the other class to practise the drama they were to perform at the competition and win N15m.
He took my son to another class, and asked him to lie down, take off his clothes, and close his eyes, saying that was how he would act in that drama they were going for. The teacher asked my son to act like a girl, while he acted like a boy.
My son questioned his methods but the teacher said he would be the one to train them for the act first. My son said he lay down as instructed and closed his eyes. He mentioned that he was not aware if the teacher took off his clothes but said he felt like something had entered his buttocks. According to him, he immediately shouted and stood up. That was what he explained to us.
What was your immediate reaction, and what steps did you take after learning about the alleged defilement?
When I heard about it, I had to call the police immediately. I informed the police and the policemen came, arrested the man, and took him to Idimu Police Station. From there, I called my pastor and explained what happened, and I asked him to pray for the child because I didn’t know the spiritual consequences of what happened. I took steps for the physical part.
It was at this time that the DOHS Cares Foundation owner, Mrs Ololade Ajayi, got to know about it, and asked us to transfer the case. The case was transferred to the Gender Unit at the Ikeja Police Station. When we got to Ikeja, we were asked to come back in a week or two. When we got back there, we were directed to a court.
At the court, I went down to get something because the child was not eating. When I came back, they took my son, the owner of the school and the offender to a lawyer; we were told that the case had been adjourned till January 23, 2025.
How will you describe your child’s emotional and psychological state since the incident?
The way the thing happened, I noticed that he was normal when he had not opened up. But the minute we knew about it, whether it was because of the fear, his emotions changed. He was quiet and stopped laughing. I had to start counselling him so that he would get rid of his unhappy state.
So, I was talking to him continually, persuading him to forget the incident, and not let it bother him. I tried talking to him. From there, he began to go outside and play with his friends. But before, he could not play with friends. He was always alone, thinking.
Have you been able to access medical or psychological support for your child?
Yes. We went to run a test and when we ran the test, I was expecting them to give me the drugs along with the results but I did not see any drugs. I asked the foundation owner who accompanied us if she had been given any drugs for my son, but she hadn’t been given any. She stated that the incident might not have affected my son, and maybe that was why they didn’t give him drugs. Since then he has not been given any medications.
What has the school done since this incident came to light?
The day we went to the police station, the proprietor was present, and also in court and every necessary place, but I was the one using my money to transport the police, fuel their car, and all; the school did not support me with a dime.
Is this the first time your son has experienced such an act?
My son said that was the first time. But according to what the boy said, the teacher tried to do it with one boy in JSS1 as well but that student escaped. The offender tried to twist words, saying he never did anything but only tried to.
Are you satisfied with the way the school handled the case?
No, I am not. If the school produced the parent of the teacher in question or any relative of the man in question, maybe it would have been easy to state how much I have spent so far. But nobody has been forthcoming, and the school asked me to pay my children’s school fees, which I did. My children were asked not to write the exam.
I feel the school does not have human sympathy because this incident was not planned by me. I had previously pleaded with the management to give me some time because I had just buried my brother-in-law. This incident happened and I’m still spending money, and they asked my children to come home and not write the exam. It’s unfair. The school said if I didn’t bring the money, my children would not write the exam. So I had to give them part of the money.
Have you heard any complaints about your son’s teacher before?
The person in question is a 22-year-old, and according to the school owner, while he is a very skilled teacher, he has a tendency to lie, and honesty is not one of his strengths. But there were no complaints of sexual assault. According to the offender, he does not have any relatives in Lagos.
The last time I went to the gender unit at the police station before the case was transferred to court, they said one of his uncles came. At the school, I asked for the suspect’s details, and I was told that he was recommended to the school by a teacher, and he didn’t submit any resume or documents. I don’t know why they would employ someone without documents.
How did your family react when they heard of this incident?
At the moment, it is only my husband and me who are staying together; I didn’t inform anybody in the village. My husband said the man was lucky he had not met him one-on-one. My husband was angry because he had not seen the face of the offender and the case was transferred. He is willing to follow me to the court next year.
What kind of therapy or counselling support has your son been receiving?
Apart from the one I usually do when I want him to feel better, nobody in the school has said anything about therapy or counselling. I thought the school would support me by asking me to leave the fees, but they still asked me to pay and send my kids home. There has been no support.
In your fight for justice for your son, what challenges have you been facing so far?
What I can say now is that when the incident happened, it affected my business. I always left my business for the police station. I would not sell, and still, I was spending money on transport. I had to book a ride for the policewoman from the gender unit to the court and back. I have been involved in all, trying to pay fees, but it has affected me.
How has your son’s education and attitude towards school been affected by this incident?
The incident happened after the open day in the school and I have not been there to check his performance levels, but I will compare his results when they come out. I asked him if he remembered anything that happened when he went to school, and he said that many people looked at him as if he instigated the act with the teacher and that he wanted to change his school.
A PTA meeting was called one day and the school warned students and emphasised the importance of not collecting things from teachers. I felt the school was shifting the blame on the child alone. My son wants to change his school. I have told him I will try my best and that he should be patient for now. Hopefully, I will register him for a common entrance exam in another school.
What do you want the government or the authorities to do concerning the incident?
Let him go to jail as long as he’s guilty. At the moment, if I am asked to come to court, I don’t have any money again. My business is down at the moment. Let the government judge him the way he is supposed to be judged. If he is innocent, let him be set free, but if he is guilty, let him face the consequences.
Are you going to press charges against the school?
The school owner apologised; she came along with her pastor. If I had known about the incident by myself, I would have asked the government to press charges against the school, but the school informed me of the situation.
At first, when the incident happened, I didn’t want anyone to know it was my child, but when the school stopped my children from writing the exam, I felt bad. If nobody shows up for the offender in court, I will do a calculation of all my expenses and ask the school to pay me back.
What advice do you have for parents regarding children and their teachers in school?
I was carried away by the competition, but when I got to the PTA meeting, the school denied any reports of a prize-winning competition, which meant the teacher created the competition and lied to the students about it.
So, parents should be cautious about the information they get from their children concerning school programmes and seek information from the school. Some teachers blame my son for collecting gifts from the teacher. My son came home with spelling assignments and even went to our pastor for prayers because he wanted to win the competition.
