A woman on a video circulating on social media has alleged that her 11-year-old son has been sexually molested by fellow students in a college in Akwa Ibom State, South-south Nigeria.
The Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has ordered an investigation into the allegation.
The woman, Deborah Okezie, posted a video on Facebook where she said some senior students in the college, Deeper Life High School, Uyo, “habitually inserted their fingers and toes in his son’s anus.”
She said her son was frequently starved and beaten up by the senior students.
The victim was moved by the school principal from a hostel where other junior students stayed to another hotel filled with senior students because he was bed-wetting, Mrs Okezie said in the clip which has gone viral on Facebook.
The victim looked terrified in the video. The mother prodded him to speak up about his ordeal.
“They said if he complained he will be a dead man,” Mrs Okezie said. “Please, help me share this (video) until it gets to the appropriate authorities.”
“They will remove his boxer and push their legs and hands into his anus,” the woman said.
The boy said the senior students threatened to kill him if he reported the matter to the school principal.
In another clip, the boy, wearing his school uniform, was seen throwing up inside a car when he was being taken away from the school by his mother.
Mrs Okezie said she decided to visit the school “when she dreamt about her son and felt that all is not well”.
“I had a dream, I saw my son waving me goodbye. I told my husband I have to go to the school, that this dream is not right, he said let’s pray. I said to him prayers are not enough, I have to go to the school and see what is happening,” she said.
Mrs Okezie said she reported her son’s ordeal to the school principal who assured her that the boy would be returned to junior hostel.
“Look at a child I sent to school, he came back with a broken anus.
“People who have children in boarding school don’t know what these children go through, boarding school of these days is not like the boarding school of those days,” she said.
The Akwa Ibom State government, Sunday, expressed concern over Mrs Okezie’s allegations.
The Commissioner for Information in the state, Ini Ememobong, said Governor Emmanuel has directed the commissioner for education “to immediately investigate these complaints and take necessary action”.
“The State Government is committed to the protection of children wherever they may be within its jurisdiction,” Mr Ememobong said.
Deeper Life High School, with 21 campuses across Nigeria, is owned by a foremost Pentecostal church, The Deeper Christian Life Ministry. The school has its headquarters in Lagos, South-west Nigeria.
The school said on its website that as a part of its philosophy, “It is committed to providing the highest academic standards, cultivating sound leadership skills and vision, as well as enriching lives through spiritual development.”
“The aim of all these is to produce critical thinking and Christ-honouring students who will positively and profoundly impact the larger society,” it added.
The Uyo campus of the co-educational school took off in 2016. The principal is Ndidi Solomon.
The management of the school is aware of the incident and is investigating it, an official at the Deeper Life High School headquarters, Lagos, told reporters on Sunday.