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Citadel Group of Schools, Enugu |
By Madu Ezenoha, Enugu
The management of an Enugu popular school, the Citadel Group of Schools, has appealed to the public to hold their thoughts over alleged child molestation by a teacher in the school noting that the police and state authorities are working hard to establish the veracity or otherwise of the allegation.
The Proprietress/Director of the School, Lady Pat Anakor, in a statement, explained that the allegation posted on the social media by a parent of a pupil in the school was a mere allegation which the state police command was currently investigating and yet to come out with a report.
Besides, she also revealed that the school management and the state authorities were collaborating with the police to establish the facts of the matter with a view to ensuring justice.
The school authority therefore said it will be wrong for anybody, especially social media enthusiasts to jump to conclusion on the matter.
The proprietress said that even though the school management preferred to restrain itself from joining issues with the woman who posted the allegation in the social media, in order to allow the conclusion of investigation by the police, but it was constrained to issue official statement on the matter to dismiss such unproven allegations and what seemed like an orchestrated smear campaign by traducers.
“Being conscious of the enormous burden and social responsibilities placed on her shoulders by society, the government authorities and humanity in general, and being an institution of great repute that offers essential service to an important segment of the society to wit, to raise and mould the young generation and imbue in them with the requisite knowledge both in character and learning in moral and deep spirituality to be very responsible members of the human community...
"We wish to officially make our position known to the public with regards to the alleged molestation of the 3 year old child by a teacher in our school which some bloggers have since taken to the social media and has gone viral.
“It is therefore imperative on the school to update the general public point-blank with the facts of the matter as follows: the Matter is now under investigation by the School authority and the Nigerian Police with the view to ascertaining the veracity of the allegation and on this note, we have as a matter of our disciplinary policies, suspended the teacher allegedly fingered in the saga. This is to avoid any form of compromise in the cause of investigation.
“The school authority has vowed not to shield our teacher if after investigation, she is found complicit in the saga.
“Even though, the school authority has unearthed some external facts which seem to give clue to the facts that what happened to the little girl may be external, which we have forwarded to the Police in aid to their investigation, we don't think it is necessary to state it here in other not to undermine the investigation by the police,” the statement reads.
The school authority said that it shares the concern of the child's mother over the alleged molestation of the little child, stressing that it feels her pulse just like the general public.
The school therefore appealed to the general public particularly parents and intending parents to disregard and discountenance the negative narrative in the social media for being a one-sided reportage and await the outcome of the Police investigation and the official position of the Enugu State Government on the matter.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the mental, moral and spiritual well-being of our children and no compromise on the task no matter the circumstances.”