The Lagos State Government has announced plans to investigate the alleged defilement of a 10-year-old boy by a 22-year-old teacher, Louis Prosper, at Blessed Peace School in Abule Odu in Egbeda community, Alimosho Local Government Area of the state.

The spokesperson for the state Ministry of Education, Mr Kayode Sutton, disclosed on Monday that the issue could have been addressed much earlier if they (the ministry) had been aware of the teacher?s alleged crime.

A PUNCH Metro report on Monday detailed how the 22-year-old teacher was arrested and detained by the state police command for allegedly sodomising the minor at the school.

The suspect had allegedly told the survivor to behave like a girl and take off his trousers after luring him to a solitary spot in the school.

The report also revealed that the suspect had enticed the survivor to the location on October 18, 2024, on the pretence that he intended to take him to a spelling bee and art competition where the minor would earn money and possibly even travel abroad.

?He took the boy to a classroom and instructed him to act like a girl. He then ordered him to pull down his trousers and close his eyes.

?He assaulted the boy and threatened him not to tell anyone, assuring him that he would win the competition,? a key figure involved in the teacher?s arrest, who requested to remain anonymous, told PUNCH Metro on Sunday.

When reached on Monday to enquire about the state government?s efforts to ensure school safety and its response to the incident, Sutton stated that the appropriate department had been notified and an investigation would begin.

?Officially, we are not aware of the incident. We are not unmindful that things like these happen in private and public schools, which of course we have to a large extent nipped in the bud. We have reprimanded a lot of teachers in this regard.

?Because it is a private school and the incident was not escalated by the management at any point in time, it would be difficult for the government to be aware of it.?

We have the office of quality assurance that handles cases like this. If the private school had escalated it, the state government would have stepped in immediately.

?Now that we know this, we have forwarded the information to the appropriate authorities. They will take immediate action, investigate, and visit the school. This will determine our next steps. We already have a monitoring team in place to handle such cases, but without such information being brought to our attention, our ability to act is limited,? Sutton stated.

Speaking with our correspondent on Monday, a woman who identified herself as the school?s proprietress but declined to disclose her name said the suspect had already been arrested by the state police.

She also told PUNCH Metro that the suspect had been dismissed after the school became aware of his alleged crime.

?The teacher has already been detained and is no longer at the school. That?s all we know about the matter for now; he is no longer employed with us,? the proprietress said before ending the call.

In July, a 27-year-old teacher, Bright Emelogu, was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Lagos for sodomising a pupil. (Punch)

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