A viral video showing a 13-year-old student of Chrisland High School, a porch school in the VGC area of Lagos state, in Nigeria, having sexual intercourse with her school mates has called to question the standard of parenting in the West African country.
The video which emerged online on Monday showing the girl in immoral acts with another male student, in the presence of other students, in a hotel room while on a games competition for schools hosted in Dubai.
The event is suspected to have taken place between 8 March to 14 March while the students were in Dubai for the World School Games.
The video sparked conversation bothering on the decline in moral upbringing in the largely religious country.
Rape or Consensual Act?
News about the video was first made public in an Instagram post by popular Nigerian music businessman, Ubi Frankline, who alleged that the girl was raped by four of her male school mates. Frankline’s claims were further buttressed by a video of the girl’s mother detailing how the school had allegedly tricked the girl and conducted a pregnancy test on her.
The child’s mother said her daughter returned home as normal, with the school treating the hotel room incident as a disciplinary issue involving all five children.
But when she was shown the graphic video by a fellow parent, she realised it was a non-consensual attack.
The mother said today: ‘My daughter was dying in silence and she couldn’t speak.
These claims were, however, doused when the sex video emerged online on Twitter.
Chrisland High School Denies Rape Allegations
The school management issued a statement denying allegations of rape under their watch. In the statement by the school’s advisory board, it stated: ‘We are proud to reassure our stakeholders that no rape of anyone or the administration of a pregnancy test on any child took place on our watch’. It added: ‘To insinuate that a pregnancy test was carried out on a student, for whatever reason, therefore, is a highly unfortunate conjecture.’
They said they are willing to sanction ‘scientific or forensic inspections’ and added: ‘We are certain this will lay to rest any shred of doubt or hazy optic that the present flurry of activities might have occasioned.’
Headteacher G.I. Azake had written to the victim’s mother on April 14: ‘It was discovered that your daughter was involved in an improper behaviour during the recently concluded World School Games in Dubai, with a few of her counterparts willfully participated in a game they called “Truth or Dare”, a game which led her and few other co-learners to carry out immoral act after the lights out instruction was given.’
The school added 76 pupils travelled for the Games and 71 had set a ‘good example’ and ‘respected moral boundaries’.
Boys and girls were kept on separate floors to minimise contact, it said, denying the mother’s accusation of negligence on the part of the school.
Government Sanctions Chrisland School, Opens Investigations into the Matter
The Lagos State government announced on Monday the shutdown of all Chrisland Schools in the state following the allegations of sexual violation. The school has at least seven branches in the state.
A statement issuing the order to close the school reads, “The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland school.”
“It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State Domestic & Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.”
The government also warned those in possession or circulating the sex tape to desist from such acts or be ready to spend 14 years in jail as prescribed by the law.
“In the meantime, all Chrisland schools within Lagos are hereby closed, pending further investigations,” the statement continued.
Mixed Reactions from the Public
While the mother of the girl claimed her daughter was raped by her classmates in Dubai, many who claimed to have seen the graphic video claimed the act was consensual, blaming poor parenting for the child’s actions.
Sharing child pornography in Nigeria carries a jail term of 14 years if found guilty.
