School proprietress, two children remanded for allegedly torturing minor

Chief Magistrate Bolanle Osunsanmi of the Ogba Magistrate Court has remanded the Proprietress of Cradle of Wisdom School, Mrs Clifford Ikpinkpini and her two children to be remanded in the Kirikiri Correctional Centre over alleged torture and inhuman treatment of a 10-year-old pupil of the school.

The magistrate ordered the remand of the trio pending the perfection of their bail after their arraignment before the court.

The proprietress and her two children, Okeisoprugwe Ikpinkpini, 34, and Okorie Ikpinkpini, 37, were arraigned by the police on four counts bordering on subjecting a pupil to inhuman treatment, torturing and abstraction of justice.

The police prosecutor, Supol Raji Akeem, told the court that the defendants and others at large had between June 27 and 28, 2024, committed the alleged offence.

He said that the incident occurred at about 8 am at the Cradle of Wisdom School, Igando.

Akeem said the defendants flogged the 10-year-old boy with a cane and inflicted injuries on his back, left hand and waist.

They were also accused of allegedly infringing on the right to dignity of the minor by subjecting him to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Akeem told the court that when the incident was reported at the station, the defendants conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace,  by refusing to accept police invitation to appear in the station.

The prosecutor said the trio obstructed one Inspector Yemi Amao attached to the Igando Police Station from performing her lawful duty.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed contravened Sections 173, 172, 117 and 168(d), 10 (1) (b) of the Child Rights Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against them.

Following their not-guilty plea, Osunsanmi admitted them to bail of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum each.

It was gathered that the 10-year-old pupil allegedly got to school late. And that he had explained to the defendants that it was difficult for him to get a motorcycle to take him to school.

He added that he had to trek a long distance before he was able to get one.

It was also gathered that the defendants allegedly flogged the victim which resulted in a swollen waist, hand and back.

Meanwhile, drama ensued in the court when the defendants refused to give details of their address and declined to put down their statements.

The IPO, Yemi Amoo, had to show the video evidence of how they acted towards the police to the Chief Magistrate who condemned the proprietress and her children’s action in the open court.

Osunsanmi bluntly told the trio that since they were not ready to give their information, she would remand them until they were ready to inform her and she would give order to bring them back to court.

She said, “This should be a signal warning to the yet-to-be-identified child abusers across Lagos State and Nigeria because this is just the beginning of total cleansing of the toxic system.

“This should send a signal to yet-to-be-identified child abusers in both public and private schools that the Lagos State Government has zero tolerance for child abuse.”

She adjourned the matter to August 29, 2024, for mention.