Praise Necherem
A United States-based businessman, Mr Commander Ezu, has petitioned Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof Kate Omenugha, over alleged denial of access to his daughter by a school in the state.
He also alleged abuse, molestation and unlawfully detention by the school management in collaboration with brother to his now divorced wife and a staff of the school, expressing fear over his daughter’s fate in their hands.
In a petition written on his behalf by his lawyer, Dr Jude Okoye, and made available to newsmen, Ezu said the school’s refusal to grant him access to his daughter came to him as surprise, particularly, after acknowledging his position as the biological father.
The petition read in part: “Petition against the abuse, molestation, attempted murder, denial of legitimate access to child, public assault and conspiracy to commute crime on Commander Ezu by the management of Assured Tender Care, Mr Kenechukwu Nwankwo and Emmanuel Obiekwe.
“Our client had returned to Nigeria in March 2020, and visited his daughter in the school with gift items, but to his surprise, the school refused him (Ezu) to see his daughter, instead they kept him for an hour inside the school to get permission from his former wife’s brother before they will give him access to his daughter.
“Indeed, our client informed us that the school management told him that there was an instruction to them not to allow him access to his daughter, Miss Chimamanda Chukwudumebi Ezu.
“Sadly enough, the management shows that our client is the biological father and has been visiting the child alone in school, and with the mother, including bringing school items to her and other pupils without problems.”
Ezu called on the commissioner to set up a panel of enquiry to look into the matter and met out appropriate sanction to the school to avoid a reoccurrence and deterioration of the highly rated state’s school system.
Reacting, the management of Assured Tender Care School dismissed the allegations as untrue, describing the school as reputable to be involved in such act.
One of the staff who spoke on condition of anonymity, as she was not authorized to speak to the press, however, admitted that the complainant was disallowed from seeing the pupil.
“We are a reputable school in Anambra, and there is no way someone who did not keep a child in our care will come and request to see the child. We don’t do that. We have a duty to protect our children.
“I witnessed what happened that day. It was the man who was even constituting nuisance here, but we begged him to go home and wait for the daughter instead of coming to school. This place is for learning, we don’t even let parents come here to see their children during lesson hours, not to talk of someone we don’t know.”