Alleged Sexual Abuse of  4 Years Old Girl By A Female Teacher Rocks Maiduguri’s Popular Private School

By Abdulkareem Haruna 

A prominent and one of the highly ranked private school in Borno state, Golden Olives Academy, may be on the path of squandering its goodwill and patronage if the management of the nursery and primary school fails to properly handle the allegation of sex scandal  that is ominously hanging over its roof.

A Maiduguri-based parent, identified as Malam Hassan from Dala, has  alleged had last week raised the alarm that  his four years old daughter has been defiled  by a female pupil teacher at Golden Olives Academy to the extent of inflicting injuries in her private part. 

The aggrieved parent said though he has reported the matter to the police and the suspected culprit had been detained, he still fears his daughter may not get the needed justice. 

The Borno state police command has confirmed the arrest of the female teacher, named Zarah, who’s case would be charged in court over alleged sexual abuse  of a minor. 

The National Human Rights Commission had also confirmed and being aware of the  condemnable act of abuse on a pupil in the said school.

Mr Hassan  said his daughter, whose name is withheld, came home on November 11, 2023, with complaint of pains  in her private part each time she tried to urinate.  A situation that was later discovered to be injury caused by forced fingering of her vagina by an adult.

“My daughter is just four years and seven months old and a pupil of Golden Olive Academy in Maiduguri,” he said. 

“On the 11th of November,  when I was preparing her for school she complained of pains in her private part when she tried to urinate. I did not take it seriously thinking perhaps it was due to heat. Later, her mother called me and informed me that my daughter was in pain and that she was bleeding in her urine. 

“I rushed home and took her to a local clinic where the medical personnel there examined her and told us that her problem was not an infection as we suspected it to be. That we have to take her to the General hospital for further examination.”

Mr Hassan  said the general hospital did not attend to them until they had to obtain a police report.

“We took her to Umaru Shehu Ultra Modern Hospital, where the doctor there told us it was a case of forced penetration that caused bruises. 

“I asked my wife to talk to the poor  girl to find out how she sustained that injury and she told her mother that it was one Aunty Zarah, a female teacher in her school that used to insert her finger into her private part; and sometimes the teacher  would force her into her Hijab and asked to be sucking her breasts during breaks and closing hours.” 

The aggrieved father said he approached the management of the school to complain about the matter, but the director ended up rebuffing him. 

“I approached the school management to complain but the director of the school told me that I was going to waste my time and even end up disgracing myself. He said he was not happy with me for being ungrateful to the school that gave my daughter admission.” 

“I was not happy with the Director’s response to me because his response implied that he worried more about the image of his school than the abuse that my little child has been made to suffer,” he lamented. 

Golden Olive is one of the most popular and highly-rated schools in Maiduguri because it offers a curriculum packaged in both English and Arabic. 

The Borno state police public relations officer, Kamilu Shatambaya, confirmed an alleged case of child defilement by a pupil tutor whom he said was a female teacher at a private school.

Shatambaya said the matter would be charged to court after “all investigations are concluded.”

He said the police has received a report from a medical investigation which confirmed the girl was injured in her private part as a result of forced penetration. 

The father of the girl said the state police commissioner, received the medical report which he read out in the presence of all parties “and the report confirmed that my daughter was defiled.” 

The Borno state government has passed the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition)  (VAPP) Act which has stringent punishment for all forms of sexual crimes. 

Barrister Jummai Mshelia of the National Human Rights Commission in Maiduguri also confirmed an attempt by the police to charge the case to a magistrate court before it was kicked against.

“When we heard that they were trying to refer the case to a magistrate court where the VAPP law is not operational, we rose against it and quickly called the attention of the CP,” Barrister Mshelia said. 

“If they take the case to the magistrate court they will only charge the culprit for indecent assault and in 30 minutes the suspect would fulfil all the penalties and the case would be over. But we insisted on charging her to either the Federal High Court or the state High Court where the VAPP law is operational.”