Chrisland School, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, Lagos’s supervisor, Adegboyega Adenekan, 47years has been arraigned at an Ikeja High Court for allegedly raping a two-year-old pupil in his care.
The Prosecution, led by Titilayo Shitta-Bey, the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions, said Adenekan committed the offence sometime in November 2016 at Chrisland School, Victoria Garden City, Lekki, Lagos.
Shitta-Bey said: “The defendant defiled the complainant by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her. The offence violated Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
The alleged defilement was reported to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team for investigation. The parents of the victim were present in court.
However, following Adenekan’s not guilty plea, his lawyer, Olatunde Adejuyigbe (SAN), requested that the school supervisor should maintain the bail granted to him by the Magistrates’ Court in December, 2016. Adejuyigbe said: “The defendant was admitted to bail by Chief Magistrate Osunsanmi on December 1, 2016.
“The essence of an application for bail is to ensure that defendant stands trial. The state has concluded its investigations in the matter, interference by the defendant or witnesses will not arise.”
“The defendant does not have a criminal record, he has been attending court proceedings and he came to court this morning voluntarily, despite being informed that he will be arraigned. The same sureties (his former colleague and father-in-law) that were approved by the magistrates’ court have expressed willingness to continue and they are present in court.”
Shitta-Bey disclosed that: “The gravity of the offence will make the defendant to have an urge to flee. “Bail is discretionary and I urge your lordship to remand him in prison custody.”
The Judge, Justice Sybil Nwaka, is to determine Adenekan’s eligibility for bail, interviewed him in the open court.
The school supervisor told the judge that although on leave, he was still employed by Chrisland School and was currently tutoring children privately to sustain himself financially… “I still work there (Chrisland School) but I was asked to go on leave pending the outcome of this case.”
“I was initially being paid my salary but it was stopped last year. I presently do some private tutoring to sustain myself.”
Nwaka queried why parents allowed him get close to their children considering the grievous charge against him. Responding, Adenekan said: “The private home tutoring I do is under the supervision of the parents and their domestic staff.”
“Their (the parents) reaction to the charge I’m facing is that they will stand by me because they all know me. This is a profession that I have been in since 1996. I have trained children by the grace of God long before this charge. I tutored them and they have turned right.”
“I was so shocked when this woman (the complainant’s mother) called me and said this happened. The parents’ reactions are: ‘Mr Adenekan, we are ready to support you because we know you.’”
Nwaka in a ruling ordered that Adenekan should maintain the bail granted him by the magistrates’ court. The judge ruled: “The purpose of bail is to ensure that the defendant comes to court and it is discretionary. This defendant I’ve been told has been coming to court on his own volition.”
“I have no evidence before me that the defendant will jump bail. The sureties who stood for him at the magistrates’ court are present in court. The defendant is to remain on the bail granted to him by the magistrate court.”
Nwaka adjourned the case till Tuesday February 6, 2018 for trial.
On December 1, 2016, the Punch Newspapers had reported that:
A supervisor at a private school, Mr. Adegboyega Adenekan, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly molesting a two-year-old pupil.
The 46-year-old suspect was alleged to have lured the girl under the pretext of taking her through sex education in the school.
She then informed the police, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
The victim’s mother, who did not want to be identified, said, “On November 10, I took my daughter to the toilet. And as I normally do, I warned her not to let anybody touch her ‘wee, wee’ (private parts). Then she said, ‘he put his wee wee in my wee wee.’ I asked who? She said Mr. Adenekan. She is two years old, but she can describe everything graphically. As a mother, I wanted to cover it up. I went to the class teacher and asked her whether my daughter discussed anything with her and she said no.
“I got the suspect’s phone number. I called and told him three things – ‘Do not abuse my daughter again; do not threaten my daughter again; and for the psychological balance of my daughter, when you see her, wave at her.’
“He said I should tell anybody if I like and that nobody would believe me because he is a pastor. And truly, when I got to the school on Monday, everybody said it could not have happened. He is a supervisor in the primary school section; he has no reason to be in the nursery section. A cleaner in the school told me that my daughter and the man were close.
“My doctor checked my daughter and confirmed she had been abused. The school’s doctor could not say conclusively that she had been abused. A government hospital, Mirabel Centre, agreed that she had been abused. She told me so many graphic things that he had done to her. I just believe the law will take its course and my daughter will receive justice.”
It was learnt that the parents of the victim organised and conducted a polygraph test on the suspect.
The result of the test indicted the victim.
A copy of the result, which was conducted by the Halogen Security and obtained by our correspondent, was dated November 15, 2016.
It read in part, “The polygraph examination was conducted on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, on Mr. Adegboye Adenekan, based on the alleged sexual molestation on (name withheld), a pupil of the school.
“The relevant questions used during the test were: did you molest … sexually? Did you have sex with …? Did you fiddle …?
“At the end of the test, Mr. Adegboyega Adenekan was deceptive and therefore was found guilty of the allegation. Copies of the report of polygraph test and the consent form signed by the subject are attached.
“In conclusion, we are of the professional opinion that Mr. Adegboyega Adenekan was not truthful when he denied the allegation of sex molestation against ….”
However, the suspect, who hails from Abeokuta, Ogun State, debunked the allegations, saying he was not in a stable state of mind when the polygraph test was conducted on him.
Adenekan, who was paraded at the police command headquarters in Ikeja on Wednesday, denied touching the victim, urging the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the case.
He said, “On Friday, November 11, I got a call around 8pm from the child’s mother. She alleged on the telephone that I sexually abused her daughter. I asked her when and where? She said she wanted it between the two of us. When she dropped (the call), I was disturbed. The following day, the child’s father called me from abroad and also said I assaulted his daughter sexually. I said I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“I have never been alone with this girl; I have never bought any gift for her; I have never taken her out anywhere. So, I was so shocked. I called the head teacher and told her about the allegation by the parents. I know nothing about this allegation. I am calling on the police and other security agencies to do their investigation.
“I don’t know where this is coming from. I know the God that I serve is going to vindicate me. I am married for 15 years and I have my own children. I was disturbed when she said she still wanted me to remain friendly with her daughter. How could I have injured your daughter and you still said I should remain friendly with her?”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said evidences at police disposal showed the victim had been abused.
She said, “The Commissioner of Police has directed a discreet investigation into the matter. We are going to question the school management on the control it has over its staff.
“We have also done some investigations that we do when it comes to this kind of case. And as young as that toddler is, she is giving us all the graphic description that we need to have. The words of the child against him are weighty.”
