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𝐈𝐤𝐨𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

An Ikorodu teacher, Mrs. Rukayat, is facing a life sentence, or at least 20 years in prison, after being accused of stripping, touching the chest, and defiling a 3-year-old child with a Biro. This shocking development comes despite police discarding initial statements and a series of inconsistent testimonies from the child's father.

The ordeal began in October 2021 when a parent claimed her 3-year-old, Aduke, returned home and resisted having her private parts washed. Aduke allegedly stated that a classmate, Toluwani, had inserted a pencil into her. This was reported to Mrs. Rukayat and the headmaster.

Mrs. Rukayat, a mother of one and three months pregnant at the time, vehemently denied the possibility, explaining that male and female students were kept separate in the classroom, and any such incident would have been noticed by her assistant or nanny, or the lack of any male staff.

The following day, Aduke's father took her to Ikorodu General Hospital, where doctors confirmed a small tear in her va**na. The father attempted to have Toluwani arrested, but police deemed the young boy incapable, noting Aduke was older and larger. Instead, the headmaster and Mrs. Rukayat were arrested and pressured to confess. They were later bailed by the school owner. Mrs. Rukayat tragically suffered a miscarriage in detention due to torture and starvation.

Initially charged with negligence, the case took a bizarre turn. After police investigations seemed to corroborate the teachers' account, Aduke's father insisted on proceeding to court. He then changed Aduke's testimony, first accusing the school owner, and then the school bus driver.

In both instances, police investigations proved these claims false, confirming the owner had no presence at the school and Aduke was never alone with the driver.

When the case reached the magistrate court in Ikeja, the father failed to produce Aduke's alleged torn uniform and stained underwear, eventually ceasing his court appearances. The case went cold until March 2025.

Suddenly, an NGO conducted a "forensic interview" and a GBV report emerged, stating that Aduke had finally recalled the "true" events: Mrs. Rukayat, the then-pregnant teacher, was the one who stripped, caressed her chest, and repeatedly penetrated her with a Biro.

Based on this, all other parties—Toluwani, the school, the headmaster, the bus driver, and the assistant teacher—were discharged. Mrs. Rukayat, pregnant again and at risk of another miscarriage, was declared guilty, facing a life sentence without any new evidence or independent investigation.
In March 2025, she was abducted by police, accused of evading court, and held with her 9-month-old baby for four days at Kirikiri before being bailed. Since then, she has been continuously battling in court.

Mrs. Rukayat, whose salary was a mere ₦20,000, now believes only another forensic GBV report can save her, though she still anticipates a 5-10 year jail term. Her next hearing is March 12th, and she is desperately calling on the Lagos State Government to intervene in this case from Imota, Ikorodu.

Ballistic missiles fired from Iran are intercepted by Israel’s air defense system as seen from Jerusalem.

Photos by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90