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Child abuse: Jubilation as court releases Lagos teacher, accuser kicks

Published

4 years ago

May 19, 2022

Adewale Bakare

There was jubilation on Thursday at the Ogba Magistrates’ Court, Lagos State, over the release of a schoolteacher, Adewale Bakare, who was accused of child abuse.

The PUNCH gathered that the teacher had been remanded in Kirikiri Prison since May 4 before his bail application was granted.

However, his accuser, Mr Adebisi Arewa, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, faulted Bakare’s release on bail.

Teachers, parents, students and former students stormed the court premises as early as 7.30 am on Thursday, The PUNCH was told.

There was also jubilation on the premises of the school where Bakare teaches in the Sabo area of Lagos State after his release.

A jubilant crowd, who waited for Bakare’s arrival at the court for about two hours, carried placards and banners seeking the court to discharge the teacher.

While they sang victory songs, the teacher broke down in tears when he appeared from the Kirikiri’s vehicle that brought him.

Dressed in a red shirt and black trousers, Bakare thanked God and people for standing by him during his “trial and tough times”.

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“Thank you, God, for helping me. Thank you, God, for not putting me to shame. You are my helper, only you deserved to be worshipped, God,” he cried as the jubilant crowd lifted him up.

Speaking with our correspondent, Arewa said that the case was adjourned when he went to court today.

According to him, Bakare’s bail application was not debated.

He said, “How can that be? There are so many loopholes. I cry for this country. Anyway, he can only be released on bail and not freed.”

Backstory

There had earlier been protests over Arewa’s allegation that Bakare sexually abused his nine-year-old daughter on the school premises.

The protesters, comprising of educators, teachers, parents and former students, had protested on the premises of the Nigeria Bar Association, Lagos State Police Command and Lagos Governor’s Office.

The placard-carrying protesters argued that Bakare should not be kept in prison since the accuser failed to produce the victim for forensic tests or provide evidence.

They alleged that Bakare and his accuser earlier had an encounter over a parking space in the school but his accuser denied having any encounter with him.

Among the inscriptions on their placards are ‘say no to weaponised rape accusations’, ‘Lagos State, we say no to statistics, yes to justice’, ‘False accusation is a crime’, ‘rape is not a joke, do not accuse people to score a point’, and ‘rescue the Arewa girl’.

It was learnt that while in prison, Bakare’s wife delivered a pre-mature baby, who was kept in an incubator at a federal hospital in Lagos State.

48-year-old Bakare, who denied the allegations against him, had been a teacher for 21 years. He was a former principal of an international school where he worked for 10 years before joining Methodist Girls High School.

“It is noteworthy that Mr. Arewa has accused collectively more than five male and female teachers and aides of defiling his two daughters since 2019. As we speak, we have a teacher sentenced to life imprisonment in Kirikiri for allegedly defiling one of the daughters whom we shall call Miss O,” Bakare’s lawyer, Toyin Taiwo-Ojo had said.

During the protest, a child rights activist, Mr Saheed, urged the government and police to look thoroughly into the matter.

He said, “Prior to the arrest of Bakare, the Old Girls Association of the school organised a mentoring programme in the School Hall to celebrate the International Women’s Day on March 8, 2022. Arewa’s daughter was said to ask that ‘If you are being forced to do something you don’t want to do by your father, how can you stop it; and if you are being abused by your father, how can you run away from such?’.”

Arewa, however, denied the allegations, saying that the decision to conduct forensic interviews was ill-advised and precipitous.

He claimed that the teacher’s family, school, non-governmental organisations and former students are spreading false information about him and his daughters.

He also said evidence was provided in the case.

Arewa had said, “The survivor has been subjected to numerous ‘forensic interviews’ everywhere I was directed to take her, without my consent, beginning from Mirabel Centre and Domestic Violence Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice; Ilupeju Division of the Nigerian Police Force and the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command.

“All these interviews met the requirements of ‘forensic interviews’ because they were done in camera without my being in the same room with the survivor.

“That ‘forensic interviews’ in itself is riddled with pitfalls, inadequacies and inanities too numerous to do an exhaustive list; it will however suffice to mention its most critical flaws.”

The PUNCH, however, gathered that the Lagos State Government has taken custody of the children.

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SERAP Sues INEC Over ₦126bn Electoral Funds, Demands Full Accountability

Published

1 hour ago

October 18, 2026

Trends Admin

SERAP Sues INEC Over ₦126bn Electoral Funds, Demands Full Accountability

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over its alleged failure to account for more than ₦126.46 billion allocated for electoral operations, asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to compel the commission to disclose how the public funds were spent.

The lawsuit, filed last week and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2507/2026, followed findings attributed to the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2023 audited report, published on August 7, 2026. The reported irregularities relate mainly to transactions carried out in 2022, with some extending into 2023.

SERAP is seeking a court order compelling INEC to provide a detailed financial and documentary account of the funds, including the amounts released and paid, the beneficiaries, the contractors involved and the beneficial owners of the companies that received the payments.

The organisation also wants the commission to provide evidence that the goods and services covered by the transactions were delivered, explain how the electoral materials were used and disclose their present location and condition.

According to SERAP, the money was intended for the procurement of ballot boxes, electoral devices, sensitive election materials, result sheets, vehicles and accreditation equipment, as well as audit services, consultancy, digital archiving and other electoral operations.

The organisation said the Auditor-General’s report raised concerns about several transactions, including more than ₦112.15 billion allegedly paid for ballot boxes, electoral devices and other materials without competitive bidding or a Certificate of No Objection from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP).

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SERAP said the audit findings indicated that there was no evidence that the items had been procured. It also cited concerns that contracts were awarded to companies whose competence, experience, operational capacity, addresses and factory locations were reportedly unknown.

The Auditor-General reportedly raised the possibility that the funds had been diverted and recommended their recovery. However, the allegations remain subject to verification and do not, by themselves, establish that the entire amount was stolen.

Another transaction highlighted by SERAP involved approximately ₦1.06 billion allegedly paid for Toyota Prado TXL 2021-model vehicles without the required advertisement, competitive bidding, bid evaluation or procurement clearance.

The organisation also cited more than ₦3.13 billion allegedly paid to four contractors for ballot guides, sensitive materials and result sheets before the contracts were awarded. According to SERAP, the audit raised questions about the transactions and the possibility that the money had been diverted.

A further ₦9.24 billion was reportedly paid under 22 contracts covering similar goods and services. SERAP said the Auditor-General questioned whether the contracts had been split to circumvent procurement rules and whether payments had been made for items that were not supplied.

Other transactions cited in the lawsuit included ₦129.37 million paid to 19 accounting firms for financial audit services without sufficient supporting evidence, more than ₦504 million for accreditation devices under questioned procurement arrangements, and about ₦235.1 million paid to contractors for sleeping mats and digital archiving.

SERAP wants INEC to provide documentary and physical evidence showing that the electoral materials covered by the disputed payments were actually procured. It is also asking the court to compel the commission to identify the contractors, suppliers, consultants and public officials who authorised or processed the transactions.

The organisation further wants INEC to ensure that electoral equipment and other public assets covered by the audit findings are not disposed of, transferred, destroyed or written off in ways that could frustrate investigations, transparency or the recovery of public funds.

SERAP argued that Nigerians have a right to know how money appropriated for elections was managed, particularly as the country prepares for the 2027 general elections.

It maintained that transparency in electoral spending is necessary to protect public confidence in INEC and ensure that funds allocated for credible elections are used for their intended purposes.

The organisation cited provisions of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, national anti-corruption laws and Nigeria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention against Corruption in support of its demand for accountability.

The suit was filed on SERAP’s behalf by lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi and Andrew Nwankwo.

No hearing date had been announced as of Sunday, October 18, 2026.

The case follows an earlier demand by SERAP in September, when the organisation gave INEC seven days to explain the expenditure and called for investigations into transactions flagged by the Auditor-General.

The latest legal action seeks to compel the electoral commission to provide the requested information through a court order.

SERAP Sues INEC Over ₦126bn Electoral Funds, Demands Full Accountability

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Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

Published

1 hour ago

October 18, 2026

Trends Admin

Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

At least eight Nigerian soldiers have been killed after a military patrol vehicle struck a landmine along a highway in Borno State, north-east Nigeria.

The incident occurred on Saturday in Kinuba village, about 25 kilometres from Gamboru, near Nigeria’s border with Cameroon, according to defence sources cited by AFP.

The soldiers were reportedly travelling along the highway while inspecting members of an anti-insurgency militia involved in clearing thick vegetation beside the road when their vehicle ran over the explosive.

The blast killed all eight soldiers aboard the vehicle, while a militia member supervising the vegetation-clearing operation sustained shrapnel injuries.

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A member of the militia, Ibrahim Liman, said the explosive had been planted on the dusty road and detonated remotely.

The attack was blamed on the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an armed group that operates in the region and has repeatedly targeted security personnel and civilians.

The highway attack came amid renewed violence in Borno, where insurgents have continued to target military formations and patrols despite ongoing counter-insurgency operations.

The incident also occurred on the day the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, visited Maiduguri, the state capital, following a separate attack on a military base that reportedly killed 15 soldiers and five members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.

ISWAP and its rival, Boko Haram, have increasingly used improvised explosive devices and landmines against military convoys and other road users in the North-East.

The latest incident underscores the continuing security risks along major highways in Borno, where thick vegetation can provide cover for insurgents to plant explosives and launch attacks on passing vehicles.

Borno Highway Blast: Soldiers Killed as Military Vehicle Hits Landmine

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Okonjo-Iweala: My Mother Was Kidnapped After I Uncovered $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud

Published

1 hour ago

October 18, 2026

Trends Admin

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Okonjo-Iweala: My Mother Was Kidnapped After I Uncovered $2.4bn Subsidy Fraud

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), has recounted how her efforts to expose an alleged $2.4 billion fuel subsidy fraud in Nigeria were followed by threats and the kidnapping of her mother in 2012.

Okonjo-Iweala, who was Nigeria’s finance minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, said the kidnappers demanded that she resign from office and leave the country before her mother, Kamene Okonjo, would be released.

She said the abduction, which occurred in December 2012, subjected her family to five days of anguish and forced her to confront a painful choice between her public responsibilities and her mother’s safety.

According to her account, the crisis followed an investigation into suspicious claims submitted under Nigeria’s fuel subsidy programme. The investigation reportedly uncovered about $2.4 billion in fraudulent claims, prompting the government to withhold payments on the disputed transactions.

Okonjo-Iweala said she had raised concerns about the figures with the president and requested an audit of the accounts. After approval was granted, the review uncovered what she described as substantial fraud.

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The former minister said the refusal to pay the disputed claims was followed by threats against her, before her mother was abducted from her home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State.

The kidnappers reportedly sought to pressure her into abandoning her position in government, making her resignation a condition for her mother’s release.

Okonjo-Iweala said the experience was devastating, admitting that she considered leaving office because her mother’s life was more important to her than her position.

She recalled that her father, the late Professor Chukwuka Okonjo, encouraged her not to surrender to blackmail and urged her to continue her work.

Her mother eventually escaped after spending five days in captivity, bringing the ordeal to an end.

The incident exposed the personal risks associated with efforts to investigate alleged financial abuses in Nigeria’s petroleum subsidy system, which had long been dogged by questions over payments to fuel importers and the verification of claims.

Okonjo-Iweala later became the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, taking office as Director-General in March 2021.