Similar to the recent issue of a school principal that illegally conducted virginity test on her students in Ogun State, a school principal in Osun State has sent a student, accused by her classmate of possessing witchcraft, packing from the school.STEPHEN GBADAMOSI writes on the issue and efforts of the student to get justice. CRACK! Crack! Crack!... And the cane landed continuously on little Rachael. She is a 10-year-old SSS 1 student of Federal Government Girls College, Ipetumodu, Osun State. Though becoming out of fashion and being campaigned against by many stakeholders in the educational sector, corporal punishment is not alien to the Nigerian educational system. But there must be a reason for punishment of any type to be meted out to any pupil or student. What is the offence of this 10-year-old?
A classmate of hers (names withheld) had a dream. In her dream, she saw the punished student as a ‘witch’ and claimed that the ‘witch’ killed five students of the school. In the dream, she claimed, it was revealed that the ‘witch’ had killed two students in her former school located in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the parents of the 10-year-old student went to school to pick their child for the last Sallah break when the school’s vice-principal (administration) called them to his office and informed them that there was a problem for which they had to meet with the principal, Dr O. S. Sallam. On getting to her office, the principal told them that their daughter had been expelled from the school over the allegation that she was a ‘witch’ and that she planned to kill five other students of the school.
Scandalised at the turn of event, the parents were said to have wondered how such an allegation could have culminated in the expulsion of any student. Sunday Tribune learnt that all their efforts to plead with the principal and make her see reason that such an allegation was frivolous yielded no result.
However, Sunday Tribune learnt that the principal had failed to appear in court and did not send any representative since the matter was mentioned in court.
Counsel for the parents of the girl, Bola Adebowale, in a letter dated 22 January, addressed to the principal, a copy of which was made available to Sunday Tribune, explained that the case taken to the Federal High Court, Osogbo, was on “Fundamental Enforcement Action”, adding that since no counsel came to represent the respondent in the court on 15 January, the court gave an interim order for the student to resume “all her academic and academic related activities as a student of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Ipetumodu, Osun State.”
Earlier in October 2012, Adebowale’s chambers had also written the school principal over the matter, explaining that it was against the law to expel a 10-year-old school over spurious allegations, and called the school management’s attention to sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution containing several provisions about the inalienable rights of every individual.
Similarly, in a letter from the embattled student’s former school, Abbey Standard Group of Schools, Ososami, Ibadan, written to Dr Sallam, a copy of which the newspaper has also seen, the allegation that the student had killed two pupils in her previous school was debunked.
Signed by the school’s headmaster, the letter stated that; “it came to the notice of the school that the above-named student had been tagged a witch in your school. We wish to make it known to you that the student in question started from the baby class in our school and left when she was in primary five.
“We also wish to make it clear to you that our school is a Christian school which is being administered by God-fearing proprietor and hardworking teachers. Since its inception, the school has never recorded any death and will never record it in Jesus name (Amen).”
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Humanist Association for Peace and Social Tolerance Advancement (HAPSTA) told Sunday Tribune that since it heard about the matter, it had taken interest in it and condemned the alleged action of the principal.
Its Project Centre Manager, Ayobami Ojedokun, said “we are interested in the case because we have taken it upon ourselves to fight against any form of stigmatisation which might tamper with people’s rights, especially those bordering on witches and wizards.
“We don’t want the kind of situation we witnessed in Akwa-Ibom, where we rescued over 150 children who had been stigmatised as witches, to continue in any part of the country.”
He said it was more worrisome that the said principal was a PhD holder who, he said, ought to know that allegation of witchcraft held no water in law.
However, at the continued hearing of the case on Tuesday, 26 February, though the principal was still not represented, a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Education appeared in court, pleading that the respondents be granted more time for response on the matter. Apart from the principal, Dr Sallam, other defendants in the case are the Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Government Girls’ College, Ipetumodu, and the Zonal Director, South-West Zone, Federal Inspectorate Service, Ibadan.
The presiding judge, Babs O. Okewumi, had advised the parties to opt for an amicable resolution of the case, while also granting the requests of the respondents’ counsel.
When contacted, the principal, Dr Sallam told Sunday Tribune on telephone that “the Federal Ministry of Education is aware of the true details of the matter. I am telling you, the Federal Ministry of Education is aware of the true details of the matter.”
When asked if that meant that the girl was not expelled based on the allegation of witchcraft, she neither affirmed nor denied, but repeated that; “I have told you, the Federal Ministry of Education is aware of the true details of the matter. In any case, ask the parents; have they received any expulsion letter? And besides, the matter is in court. You should go and ask the Federal Ministry of Education your questions.”
A classmate of hers (names withheld) had a dream. In her dream, she saw the punished student as a ‘witch’ and claimed that the ‘witch’ killed five students of the school. In the dream, she claimed, it was revealed that the ‘witch’ had killed two students in her former school located in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
Sunday Tribune learnt that the parents of the 10-year-old student went to school to pick their child for the last Sallah break when the school’s vice-principal (administration) called them to his office and informed them that there was a problem for which they had to meet with the principal, Dr O. S. Sallam. On getting to her office, the principal told them that their daughter had been expelled from the school over the allegation that she was a ‘witch’ and that she planned to kill five other students of the school.
Scandalised at the turn of event, the parents were said to have wondered how such an allegation could have culminated in the expulsion of any student. Sunday Tribune learnt that all their efforts to plead with the principal and make her see reason that such an allegation was frivolous yielded no result.
However, Sunday Tribune learnt that the principal had failed to appear in court and did not send any representative since the matter was mentioned in court.
Counsel for the parents of the girl, Bola Adebowale, in a letter dated 22 January, addressed to the principal, a copy of which was made available to Sunday Tribune, explained that the case taken to the Federal High Court, Osogbo, was on “Fundamental Enforcement Action”, adding that since no counsel came to represent the respondent in the court on 15 January, the court gave an interim order for the student to resume “all her academic and academic related activities as a student of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Ipetumodu, Osun State.”
Earlier in October 2012, Adebowale’s chambers had also written the school principal over the matter, explaining that it was against the law to expel a 10-year-old school over spurious allegations, and called the school management’s attention to sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution containing several provisions about the inalienable rights of every individual.
Similarly, in a letter from the embattled student’s former school, Abbey Standard Group of Schools, Ososami, Ibadan, written to Dr Sallam, a copy of which the newspaper has also seen, the allegation that the student had killed two pupils in her previous school was debunked.
Signed by the school’s headmaster, the letter stated that; “it came to the notice of the school that the above-named student had been tagged a witch in your school. We wish to make it known to you that the student in question started from the baby class in our school and left when she was in primary five.
“We also wish to make it clear to you that our school is a Christian school which is being administered by God-fearing proprietor and hardworking teachers. Since its inception, the school has never recorded any death and will never record it in Jesus name (Amen).”
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Humanist Association for Peace and Social Tolerance Advancement (HAPSTA) told Sunday Tribune that since it heard about the matter, it had taken interest in it and condemned the alleged action of the principal.
Its Project Centre Manager, Ayobami Ojedokun, said “we are interested in the case because we have taken it upon ourselves to fight against any form of stigmatisation which might tamper with people’s rights, especially those bordering on witches and wizards.
“We don’t want the kind of situation we witnessed in Akwa-Ibom, where we rescued over 150 children who had been stigmatised as witches, to continue in any part of the country.”
He said it was more worrisome that the said principal was a PhD holder who, he said, ought to know that allegation of witchcraft held no water in law.
However, at the continued hearing of the case on Tuesday, 26 February, though the principal was still not represented, a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Education appeared in court, pleading that the respondents be granted more time for response on the matter. Apart from the principal, Dr Sallam, other defendants in the case are the Federal Ministry of Education, Federal Government Girls’ College, Ipetumodu, and the Zonal Director, South-West Zone, Federal Inspectorate Service, Ibadan.
The presiding judge, Babs O. Okewumi, had advised the parties to opt for an amicable resolution of the case, while also granting the requests of the respondents’ counsel.
When contacted, the principal, Dr Sallam told Sunday Tribune on telephone that “the Federal Ministry of Education is aware of the true details of the matter. I am telling you, the Federal Ministry of Education is aware of the true details of the matter.”
When asked if that meant that the girl was not expelled based on the allegation of witchcraft, she neither affirmed nor denied, but repeated that; “I have told you, the Federal Ministry of Education is aware of the true details of the matter. In any case, ask the parents; have they received any expulsion letter? And besides, the matter is in court. You should go and ask the Federal Ministry of Education your questions.”
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