Prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has asked the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to take immediate but comprehensive steps towards ending the incessant killings in Lagos State Private Schools. The rights group also urged the government to stop private schools from becoming places of sexual molestation of Children by staff just as it wants the administration in Lagos to investigate the allegations of negligence leading to the death of Whitney Adeniran, a 12-year-old female student of Chrisland International School, Lagos.

HURIWA stated that it is unfortunate that secondary schools in Lagos have been allowed to be infiltrated by rapists, cultists and murderers just as the well-being of school children is being undermined in those schools with constructive interventions of Lagos State Government to stamp out these menaces.

A state signed by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA expressed consternation that cases of mysterious deaths of students in the private schools of Lagos and cases of sexual scandals including massive allegations of sexual molestation of school pupils, wanton raping of children by the staff of these schools in both primary and secondary schools in the private and public schools of Lagos have become worrisome development as well as historic burdensome phenomena that ought to be confronted using a variety of law based actions by the Lagos State Government to confront the crimes viciously and vehemently.

The rights group condemned the lacklustre and politically tainted approaches used so far by the current Lagos State administration to handle such cases including that of the 12-year-old male student of Dowen College Lagos, Silvester Junior tortured to death in December 2021 by his colleagues for refusing to join a student cult. HURIWA accused the Lagos State Governor of pandering to the whims and caprices of the rich elites who own these Private schools in Lagos and are believed to be using their connection to the seat of power in Lagos to perpetually delay and deny social justice to the victims of these crimes of rape and torture in the schools.

HURIWA recalled that Mr Michael Adeniran, the father of a 12-year-old Chrisland International School student, Opebi branch, had taken to social media to cry out over the death of his daughter, Whitney Adeniran, who allegedly died during the school’s inter-house sports activities.

HURIWA lamented also that Mr Fredrick Olurunfemi, father of a 7-year-old pupil of Luyol Schools, who pointed an accusing finger at her school bus driver for molestation has been confirmed dead.

The pupil who will turn eight in May had told her mother that the driver, having conveyed other students to their destinations on the 1st of February, 2023, drove her to his house to have canal knowledge of her. Hearing this, Olurunfemi proceeded to the school with his daughter to speak to the driver, leading to an altercation between them. Consequently, the school bus driver pushed Mr Femi, who fell down and was rushed to a nearby hospital, Osuntuyi Medical Centre where he was confirmed dead.

HURIWA is, therefore, asking the Lagos State Government and the State House of Assembly to pass legislative frameworks to protect school kids from rapists and cultists that have infiltrated these institutions. HURIWA is calling for the prosecution of the driver and alleged rapist for murder and rape so he faces a possible death sentence for his heinous crimes against the innocent girl and the deprivation of the life of her Father. Besides, HURIWA is calling for protests by members of the organised civil rights bodies in Lagos.

Update news