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Chrisland: Police begin probe as school, parent disagree over alleged rape

Published

4 years ago

April 19, 2022

Chrisland School

Chrisland Schools, Lagos State, has denied allegations that a 10-year-old primary six pupil was raped during the school’s participation in the World School Games at Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The female pupil was among 76 pupils that represented the school at the event, which was held between March 8 and 14, 2022.

A statement by a Member, Advisory Board, Chrisland Schools, Akin Fadeyi, titled, ‘Chrisland Children Remain Our Centre of Focus,’ said 71 of the pupils ensured untainted adherence to the school’s standards.

“Within these 71, we kept our girls on the 11th floor and boys on the 4th floor to draw clear lines that respect moral boundaries.

“We were, however, compelled to engage with the parents of the remaining students who unfortunately got themselves involved in misconduct, and in accordance with our code of conduct processes, which are well known to the parents, we meted out measured reprimands to them to instil a sense of discipline and as deterrence to others.

“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. For emphasis, only a COVID post-travel test was conducted on the returning delegation of our students, in compliance with COVID-19 travel protocols at the Life Centre Medical Services on March 21, 2022, at School Hall, Opebi.

“This was through the nose swab test as consistent with COVID-19 health protocols. We trust that this can be verified at the source provided,” the statement added.

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The statement came after a video clip of two pupils of the school engaged in what the school described as ‘sexual misconduct’ was shared on Twitter by an unidentified user.

The incident was said to have happened during the school’s trip to Dubai.

A letter signed by the school’s head teacher, G.I. Azike, to the female student’s parents stated that she was suspended over “sexual misconduct.”

The letter surfaced online late Sunday and was shared by a showbiz personality, Ubi Franklin.

It indicated that the students engaged in a game called ‘Truth or Dare,’ when the act occurred after lights out.

“A full-scale investigation has been done and the parents of all culpable learners have been duly notified with the necessary punishment meted out on the learners.

“We cannot as a school condone such. Consequently, (the female victim) is hereby placed on indefinite suspension until you as the parents ensure that she is punished, adequately counselled and rehabilitated,” the letter read in part.

However, the student’s mother, in an 11-minute video clip released early Monday by Franklin, said the school management, during a meeting, only informed her that her daughter kissed a student.

Franklin later deleted the video.

In the video, the victim’s mother said after the meeting with the management, she did not hear anything from the school until after three weeks when a teacher sent her a Zoom link inviting her for another meeting.

“We had that meeting (involving) board of directors. One particularly said his name is Akin. He led the meeting and began by saying if there is no sin, there won’t be forgiveness and was speaking in parable.

“I had to ask what they were discussing and he said they just wanted to do a follow-up if I had withdrawn my daughter’s phone and to check how she was doing and I said she’s fine.

“But he made a comment that ‘when it happened,’ and I asked what happened, and he asked if she didn’t tell me and I said no she didn’t. So, I started screaming at them to tell me what happened and they said no.

“So, we finished the meeting. The next day, a parent called me and said she needed to see me urgently. I had to go to her house and she showed me the video and said all the parents are aware,” she added.

She said she immediately called one of the school teachers, who did not take her calls.

The distraught mother said when the teacher eventually picked up, she denied knowledge of the incident.

The woman said she then decided to discipline her daughter in order to force her to talk.

She said, “As we were beating her, she pleaded to talk to me and said a teacher threatened her not to speak out. She narrated how it happened, how they abandoned them in the hotel, how the school left them and how she got into this thing that is happening now.

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“They have been having meetings, sending delegates from their headquarters to have meetings with my daughter without my consent. Every day, when she is going to school, I will be forcing her to come outside. They took her to do a pregnancy test without us knowing and lied to us that they were taking her for a COVID test.

“Do they use blood samples or urine for COVID test? And I did not know until this thing came up. Because we started confronting them, they sent her a suspension letter. I am begging Nigerians to help me because Chrisland was trying to hide this issue and push us out of the way and my daughter was going psychologically insane.”

In a statement on Monday, the state government said an investigation had commenced into the matter, adding that all Chrisland schools in the state had been shut down.

“In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and psychosocial support is provided. This is to reassure members of the public of the state government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centred institutions within the state formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order (NO.EO/AAO8 of 2016), Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Programme.

“We also use this medium to remind the general public of the implications pertaining to engaging in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to a custodial sentence of 14 years. This includes producing, distributing, receiving and possessing an image of child pornography.

“In the meantime, all Chrisland schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations,” the statement said in part.

Reacting, the state Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, in a statement released by the command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, also said the command had commenced an investigation into the matter.

“The command has commenced investigations into the matter with a view to establishing the identities of the players in the video, the true incident in the video, the geographical location of the incident, the alleged threat to life against a student of the school and circumstances surrounding the alleged repeated pregnancy tests conducted on a student without parental consent.

“The command is equally taking cognizance of the cybercrime angle to the whole episode and would not hesitate to enlist the support of the Interpol should the need arise. For a holistic and unbiased investigation, the command shall be working with relevant ministries, departments, agencies and non-governmental organisations.”

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Femi Falana, in a statement, said, “The decision of the Lagos State Government to close down the school is commendable. A thorough and speedy investigation of the immoral act ought to be carried out with a view to sanctioning the teachers who failed to provide effective supervision of the pupils during the trip to the United Arab Emirates.

“In particular, the allegation of the mother that her daughter was subjected to pregnancy tests without parental consent should be referred to the police for investigation and possible prosecution,” he added.

In his reaction to the incident, a senior lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, condemned the parents, school management, government, and Nigerians for sharing the sexually explicit content online.

He said, “Parents have a responsibility in providing moral education for their children because children are susceptible to all sorts of influences by the media, including the broadcast media, radio and films that they watch at home. So, parents have the responsibility to nurture their children before they hand them over to schools.

“As for the school, this is not the first time things like this would be happening in Chrisland; the other time, a teacher was said to have raped and it resulted in a trial and it became topical for a long time. And that calls to question the responsibility of the management of Chrisland.

“What is the supervisory mechanism that exists in that school particularly when we are talking about young children that are prone to abuse not only by paedophile teachers but by fellow students. If students are released to their teachers and handlers to embark on a foreign trip, they have a bigger duty to supervise them 24-hour and also keep a vigil on them while they are asleep.

“But with what happened, they failed woefully in their duty to ensure that the children did not fall into any moral harm. And the fact that they allegedly attempted to cover it up aggravated that failure, and in the process of the cover-up, they violated the right of the child when they took the child to allegedly conduct a pregnancy test without the knowledge of the parents.”

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Related Topics:Chrisland disagree Featured Parent police rape School

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FBI confirms Tinubu was subject of US criminal investigation in 1990s

Published

1 hour ago

September 1, 2026

Trends Admin

FBI confirms Tinubu was subject of US criminal investigation in 1990s

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has confirmed in a sworn court declaration that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a subject of a criminal investigation involving drug-trafficking crimes in the early 1990s.

The disclosure was contained in a declaration filed on August 28, 2026, before the US District Court for the District of Columbia as part of an ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) case seeking access to historical FBI records relating to Tinubu.

The FBI said the records being sought were compiled in furtherance of its investigation of multiple individuals for drug-trafficking crimes. The agency also acknowledged that the court had previously determined that there had been an official acknowledgement of an investigation involving Tinubu.

The latest development has revived a long-running dispute over Tinubu’s FBI records, which has been the subject of litigation in the United States for several years.

The case originated from FOIA requests filed by American transparency activist Aaron Greenspan, who sought records from US law-enforcement agencies relating to investigations connected to a Chicago-based drug-trafficking operation in the early 1990s.

Among the documents requested were Tinubu’s entire FBI file and FBI Form 302 interview records relating to an FBI case covering the period between 1992 and 1993.

The dispute reached a significant stage in April 2025 when US District Judge Beryl Howell ruled that the FBI and the US Drug Enforcement Administration could no longer rely on what is known as a “Glomar response” to refuse to confirm or deny the existence of records concerning Tinubu.

The court subsequently directed the agencies to search for and process records that were not exempt from disclosure under US freedom-of-information laws.

However, the court ruling did not establish that Tinubu committed a drug-trafficking offence, nor did it amount to a criminal conviction or finding of criminal guilt against the Nigerian president.

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That distinction remains central to the latest controversy. The FBI’s declaration confirms the existence and official acknowledgement of an investigation, but the publicly available material does not by itself establish that Tinubu was convicted, prosecuted or found guilty of drug trafficking.

The FBI has also continued to withhold or redact portions of the records, citing exemptions under US law relating to personal privacy, confidential sources, law-enforcement techniques and information that could potentially endanger individuals.

Tinubu’s legal team has challenged further disclosure of some of the records, arguing that privacy and other legal protections should be respected.

A member of the president’s US legal team, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Wole Afolabi, has also argued that an investigation does not automatically establish criminal culpability. He maintained that if US authorities had found sufficient evidence to prosecute Tinubu for a criminal offence, the appropriate legal process would have followed.

The renewed controversy has also become intertwined with Nigeria’s 2027 presidential election, particularly because the Washington-based lobbying firm Von Batten-Montague-York, which is working for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has publicised developments surrounding the records.

The firm said it obtained a large volume of documents from the FBI and was reviewing and redacting some of the material before making further information public.

Its activities have drawn criticism from the Nigerian Presidency, which has accused the firm of presenting political claims as though they were official positions of the US government.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, described the campaign surrounding the records as politically motivated and accused Atiku’s camp of attempting to use historical US records as political leverage ahead of the 2027 election.

Dare said publicly available filings under the US Foreign Agents Registration Act showed that Atiku had engaged Von Batten-Montague-York under a 12-month agreement reportedly valued at $1.2 million.

He argued that statements from the lobbying firm should not be interpreted as statements from the US government and rejected what he described as attempts to portray political advocacy as an official American intelligence assessment.

The Presidency has particularly challenged claims attributed to the lobbying firm concerning alleged intelligence findings, insisting that the firm is a commercial lobbying organisation and not an agency of the US government.

The controversy comes amid renewed efforts to obtain and release the historical FBI and DEA records concerning Tinubu, with the courts still determining what information can legally be disclosed.

The FBI’s latest sworn declaration is therefore significant because it removes ambiguity over one narrow but important issue: US authorities officially acknowledge that Tinubu was a subject of a criminal investigation connected to a broader drug-trafficking investigation in the early 1990s.

However, the declaration should not be interpreted as an FBI finding that Tinubu committed drug trafficking.

The available court material establishes that an investigation existed and that records were created in connection with it, while questions about the substance of those records, the outcome of the investigation and the legal significance of the information remain subject to the ongoing FOIA proceedings.

The development is likely to intensify political debate in Nigeria as the 2027 presidential election approaches, with Tinubu’s supporters and opponents expected to continue debating the significance of the historical US records.

For now, the clearest position from the publicly disclosed material is that Tinubu was officially acknowledged as a subject of a US criminal investigation in the 1990s, but the records disclosed so far do not establish a criminal conviction or prove that he committed a drug-trafficking offence.

FBI confirms Tinubu was subject of US criminal investigation in 1990s

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16-year-old in police custody over alleged killing of 20-year-old in Cross River

Published

1 hour ago

September 1, 2026

Trends Admin

Cross River Police Spokesperson, ASP Sunday Eitokpah

16-year-old in police custody over alleged killing of 20-year-old in Cross River

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested by the Cross River State Police Command over the alleged stabbing death of a 20-year-old man, Uwem Daniel Akpan, following a reported misunderstanding in Awi community, Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state.

The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m. on Monday, August 31, 2026, at Peters Street, Awi, where the teenager and the deceased were reportedly neighbours and lived in the same compound.

According to reports, the disagreement between the two escalated before Akpan was allegedly stabbed. The precise circumstances that led to the confrontation, however, remain under investigation by the police.

Akpan was rushed to the Naval Reference Hospital, Calabar, after sustaining the stab injury. Medical personnel at the hospital reportedly confirmed him dead on arrival.

His remains were subsequently recovered by members of his family, according to the police.

The Cross River State Police Command confirmed the arrest of the teenage suspect in a statement issued by its Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Sunday Eitokpah.

The police said the 16-year-old was in custody and assisting investigators as they work to establish the circumstances surrounding the death and the alleged involvement of the suspect.

The identity of the teenager has not been disclosed by the authorities because he is a minor.

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The police said the case was being processed for transfer to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Calabar, where detectives are expected to conduct further investigation and take appropriate legal action in accordance with the law.

The command said investigators would examine the circumstances surrounding the confrontation and determine what led to the fatal incident.

The police have not announced any charge against the teenager, as the investigation is still ongoing.

The command also appealed to residents of Awi and surrounding communities to remain calm and avoid any form of jungle justice or retaliation while the authorities investigate the case.

Police authorities stressed that the circumstances surrounding Akpan’s death would be thoroughly investigated and that further information would be made public as relevant facts emerge.

The incident has raised renewed concerns about disputes between young people escalating into fatal violence, particularly where disagreements are not resolved before turning physical.

For now, the 16-year-old suspect remains in police custody, while detectives continue efforts to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death of Akpan.

The police have assured members of the public that the investigation will be conducted in accordance with the law and that any further developments will be communicated as the case progresses.

16-year-old in police custody over alleged killing of 20-year-old in Cross River

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Lagos police deny tear-gassing pensioners as #EndBadGovernance demands CP’s sack

Published

2 hours ago

September 1, 2026

Trends Admin

Lagos police deny tear-gassing pensioners as #EndBadGovernance demands CP’s sack

The Lagos State Police Command has denied allegations that its officers tear-gassed pensioners during a protest at the Lagos House in Ikeja, even as the #EndBadGovernance movement and other civil society groups demanded the immediate removal of Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai over the disputed incident.

The controversy followed Monday’s protest by members of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) and retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), who gathered at the Lagos State Government premises in Alausa to demand the implementation of approved pension increases, wage awards, payment of arrears and other outstanding retirement benefits.

Several reports published after the protest alleged that police officers deployed tear gas to disperse the elderly protesters. Premium Times, Vanguard, The Guardian and other news organisations reported that tear gas was used during the demonstration. (Premium Times Nigeria)

However, the Lagos Police Command has strongly rejected the allegation.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, described the reports as “false and misleading”, insisting that no tear-gas canister was fired throughout the protest.

The police said approximately 500 pensioners participated in the demonstration, which began at about 8:30am on Monday, August 31, and was led by NUP Lagos chairman Michael Omishade and Nigeria Labour Congress chairperson Agnes Funmi Sesse. (Punch)

According to the command, officers from the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State Taskforce, Eko Strike Force and various divisional headquarters were deployed to maintain law and order and protect the protesters and other members of the public.

The police said the security operation was coordinated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations.

The command further stated that the protesters were addressed by the Lagos State Governor’s Chief of Staff, Tayo Akinmade Ayinde, after which the NUP executives proceeded to an indoor meeting at the Governor’s Conference Hall.

The meeting reportedly lasted about three hours, while the protesters later dispersed peacefully at about 4:30pm. The police said the area remained calm and that no adverse incident was recorded.

The command also challenged the authenticity of a photograph circulated on social media that purportedly showed security personnel tear-gassing the pensioners.

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According to the police, the photograph was AI-generated and did not represent what happened at the protest venue. The command urged the public to be cautious about sharing unverified material capable of creating tension or undermining confidence in security agencies.

Despite the police denial, the #EndBadGovernance movement in Lagos has maintained its allegation and called for the immediate sack of Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai.

In a statement signed by Oloye Adegboyega-Adeniji and Hassan Taiwo Soweto, the movement described the alleged treatment of the elderly protesters as an “unpardonable assault” and demanded the arrest and prosecution of police personnel allegedly involved.

The group also demanded an unreserved public apology from the Lagos State Government and urged the administration to resolve the pensioners’ grievances over pension adjustments, wage awards, arrears and other outstanding entitlements.

The movement argued that retirees who spent decades serving the state should not be subjected to force while demanding benefits they believe are legitimately owed to them.

It also accused the Lagos State Police Command of what it described as a recurring pattern of alleged assaults on civil liberties, linking Monday’s controversy to an earlier January 28 anti-eviction protest in Alausa.

According to the movement, police officers allegedly used tear gas and excessive force during that protest, while some protesters were arrested and their belongings seized.

The group said the alleged treatment of pensioners showed what it described as a broader pattern of using police force against citizens exercising their right to peaceful assembly.

The #EndBadGovernance movement therefore called on Amnesty International, human rights organisations and other concerned citizens to investigate what it described as a dangerous erosion of civil liberties in Lagos.

It also demanded the establishment of an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the conduct of the Lagos State Police Command in managing public protests and demonstrations from August 1, 2024, to date.

The proposed panel, according to the group, should examine allegations of police violence, arrests, intimidation, tear-gas deployment and other forms of excessive force, including the January 28 protest and Monday’s demonstration by pensioners.

It further called for any officers or authorities found responsible for violations to face appropriate disciplinary or criminal sanctions.

The Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC) and the Youth Rights Campaign (YRC) have also called for the removal and prosecution of the Lagos police commissioner over the alleged tear-gassing of the retirees.

The groups accused the police of using force against elderly citizens who were demanding payment of outstanding pension adjustments, wage awards and other benefits. (Sahara Reporters)

Meanwhile, Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, also condemned the alleged use of tear gas against the pensioners and called for the identification, arrest, investigation and prosecution of officers allegedly responsible.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, has similarly called for action over reports that police officers used tear gas during the demonstration, demanding that the officers allegedly involved be identified and prosecuted.

The controversy is rooted in a longstanding disagreement between some Lagos pensioners and the state government over the implementation of pension increases, consequential adjustments, wage awards and payment of arrears.

The retirees had reportedly given the Lagos State Government an August 31 deadline to address some of their outstanding demands before staging Monday’s demonstration. (Vanguard News)

The Lagos State Government has, however, defended its record on pension matters.

The government said the Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC) had paid N168.2 billion to more than 48,000 retirees since the commencement of the Contributory Pension Scheme in the state.

It also said that between May 2019 and August 2026, about N92 billion had been disbursed in accrued rights to more than 25,000 retirees.

The government has described its pension record as one of the strongest in the history of Lagos State and said it remains committed to the welfare of retired public servants.

The retirees, however, continue to insist that specific pension adjustments, wage awards and arrears remain unresolved.

The conflicting accounts over Monday’s protest have now shifted the focus from the pensioners’ demands to the conduct of the security personnel deployed at the scene.

While multiple reports said tear gas was used against the protesters, the police have categorically denied firing any tear gas and have disputed the authenticity of a widely circulated photograph supporting the allegation. (Premium Times Nigeria)

The competing claims make an independent investigation potentially significant in determining exactly what happened during the protest and whether any police officers used excessive force.

For the pensioners, however, the underlying dispute remains their demand for the implementation and payment of retirement benefits they say are outstanding.

With civil society groups demanding the removal of the Lagos Commissioner of Police, prosecution of officers allegedly involved and an independent inquiry into the handling of protests, pressure is mounting on authorities to provide a clear account of Monday’s events.

The controversy also renews wider concerns over police conduct, peaceful protest and civil liberties in Lagos, particularly the balance between maintaining public order and protecting citizens’ constitutional right to peaceful assembly.