Officers of the Lagos State Police command have begun to look into a case of child molestation at the hands of a driver who works in the University of Lagos Women Society School, Lagos.
The driver, Abiodun Mathew, allegedly defiled one four-year-old Kindergarten school girl within the school premises.
According to reports, the driver was originally hired by parents of some other two students to take their children back to their houses after school hours.
However, Abiodun became friends with the victim’s class teacher, Charity Madumere in the long run, causing him to spend more time around the classroom.
Due to their closeness, Charity is said to have regularly left the driver in charge of the class, leaving room for him to carry out the atrocities against the little girl.
Before discovering all that Abiodun had done to his daughter, the victim’s father explained that he had informed the school authorities of his skepticism about the driver’s closeness to his daughter’s class teacher. However, his warnings were not heeded.
He said, “Obviously, this guy had been hanging out in the class for a long time, but I noticed recently and I felt that it was dangerous. I complained through the communications book, which serves as a link between the parents and the school. I expressed concern about having a man in the midst of innocent children.
“The class teacher, after being spoken to by her supervisor, told the man to stay away. But after the heat had gone down, the man resumed sitting with the children. At times, I met him alone with the pupils in the class where they were kept before pick-up by their parents or guardians.”
He further stated that things became scary when the victim began to complain that she could not urinate properly.
“On Sunday, March 24, 2019, she told her elder sister, who is six-years-old, that she experienced pain when she urinated. The sister told me and I asked her if anybody had touched her in her private parts, but she did not tell me anything.
“She confided in the sister that it was one uncle Biodun, who had been touching her. We were just settling down for breakfast when I heard it. Immediately, I lost my appetite. Blood rushed to my brain. I knelt down and prayed to God to help me control my anger, so that I would not do anything untoward.
“I called the head teacher and she said I should see her on Monday. I took my daughter to the UNILAG medical centre for tests and I was told that the hymen was gone and there were abrasions and lacerations in her private parts.
“Last Friday, we went to the Mirabel Centre, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, for thorough tests and the revelations were more damning. He was not only using his penis, he had been using sticks and biros. Gas was oozing out of my daughter’s private parts when a doctor examined her,” the father, Ade, narrated.
Ade further explained that the class teacher, Charity, and Abiodun were initially arrested but they were released on bail some days later because the school was trying to protect its image.
He stated, “After the incident, the board of the school, led by the President, came to my office to commiserate with me and announce that the services of the class teacher were no longer needed, only for me to see her in class on Monday.
“These are people who are supposed to be protecting children. It has happened to my child today, who knows whose child it will be tomorrow. And it has not even been established that my daughter was the only one molested by the man because since the beginning of the session, he had been in constant contact with the children.”
The suspects have now been re-arrested after the intervention of the commissioner of police for Lagos State.
While addressing newsmen, the Lagos State Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, explained, “ Four suspects were arrested in connection with the case. They are Abiodun Matthew, Charity Madumere, Olubukunola Oyinlola and Esther Olawale. The suspects are in custody and the CP has directed the gender unit to take over the investigation.”
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