Admin l Tuesday, February 20, 2018
LAGOS, Nigeria – David Eyo, a 31-year-old head teacher, who allegedly defiled his 10-year-old pupil, was on Tuesday remanded in Kirikiri prison by an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.O Osunsanmi who gave the ruling, directed that the case file should be duplicated and a copy sent to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.The accused, a resident of Aguda in Surulere area of Lagos is on trial for defilement. The prosecutor, Insp. Benson Emuerhi, had told court that the accused committed the offence at 2.00 p.m. on Feb. 10 inside the school premises of Promise Land Ministry School situated at No. 17, Aminu Jinadu St., Eric Moore, Surulere in Lagos.
“He serially defiled his 10-year-old pupil (name withheld) in the premises of the school,” the prosecutor said. The case was reported by the pupil’s parents to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT).
According to Mrs Titilola Rhodes-Vivour, the Coordinator of the DSVRT who was present in court for the arraignment, the child had inform her classmate about the defilement which had occurred several times within the school premises.
“The classmate who is the survivor’s friend told her mother who in turn informed the survivor’s father and the case was reported to the Eric Moore Police Station in Surulere.At the police station, it was referred to the Gender Desk and the Gender Desk got in touch with the DSVRT for further investigation,” she said.
Elaborating further on the circumstances surrounding the alleged defilement, the DSVRT Coordinator said “The survivor could not tell her parents because the accused threatened to flog her, telling her that she will die if she tells anybody of the defilement.
“According to the survivor who was preparing for her Common Entrance Examinations, the pupils used to stay after school hours to be tutored by Eyo who works also as the head teacher, choir master and class teacher. Eyo had the habit of isolating the survivor from her classmates and defiling her in the classroom and infected her with a Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD).
“The survivor alleged that the sexual abuse had started since September 2017 when she was in primary five,” she said. Rhodes -Vivour also lamented that survivors of Domestic and Sexual Violence had to fund their cases for justice to prevail.
The offence contravenes Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.Section 137 prescribes a life sentence foe anyone found guilty of defiling a child. Osunsanmi adjourned the case until June 25 for mention.
