Principal Remanded Over Alleged Attempt To Cover-Up Sex-For-Marks Scandal, Abuse of 11 Girls

The Lagos State Government has taken legal action against the principal of Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Secondary School in Ojodu-Berger, accusing her of trying to hide the sexual abuse of 11 female students by a staff member.

According to a source who is close to the matter, the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency arraigned Osunrinde Omotayo Abiodun on Wednesday.

Mrs. Osunrinde faced charges of covering up sexual misconduct that allegedly took place within her school. Even though the court approved her bail, she was instructed to stay in Kirikiri Prison until she meets the requirements for release.

“The principal has been remanded to prison. Her offense is concealing of sexual offenses. She was granted N200,000 bail and asked to produce a taxpayer as a surety.

“She’s in prison now because she has not perfected her bail conditions. She was arraigned yesterday (Wednesday) and later remanded in Kirikiri prison,” the source said.

Previously, the Lagos State Ministry of Education pledged to ensure justice is done regarding the sex-for-marks controversy affecting the school.

This commitment was reiterated during a meeting held on Monday with the whistleblower Clement James, his lawyers, and representatives of the Take It Back Movement.

The ministry gave its assurance that a full investigation would be carried out and that anyone found responsible would face the consequences.

“We want to assure you that we are taking this matter seriously and will work to ensure that justice is served,” a ministry official was quoted as saying.

The official also stated, “We encourage anyone with information about irregularities to come forward, and we will do everything in our power to protect them from any form of intimidation.”

Additionally, the ministry praised James for his courage in exposing the issue and expressed a willingness to receive similar complaints.

“If you are invited by the government for questioning, do not be scared if you know you are in the right,” the official added.

“We are committed to upholding justice and will not allow any case to be overturned unfairly.”

The Take It Back Movement, which has been vocal about the demand for accountability, referred to the official’s remarks in a statement.

The case involves Further Mathematics teacher Mr. Egberongbe Adegbenga Toheeb, who has been accused of targeting his female students under the pretence of giving them academic assistance.

Alarmingly, several of the girls said the teacher tried to pressure them into meeting at hotels or cornered them in classrooms where he attempted inappropriate acts.

“He said he wanted to help me with my maths,” one victim said. “But later, he started pressuring me to meet him in a hotel near Alagbon bus stop. That’s when I knew something was wrong.”

Another girl recalled that Adegbenga took off his belt and tried to force himself on her in the classroom.

“I had to fight him off and run,” she said.

Further findings indicated that Mr. Adegbenga wasn’t officially recruited by the Lagos State Government but was directly employed by Mrs. Osunrinde.

It is alleged that the abuse persisted over several years, with protection from school authorities.

Instead of protecting the students, the school leadership allegedly targeted the person who exposed the abuse — Clement James, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member and a former student of the school who played a significant role in revealing the truth.

On March 24, 2025, James was reportedly deceived into returning to the school, where he was ambushed and had his phone taken by staff said to be trying to erase the evidence.

James claimed that he was locked in a toilet in the principal’s office and only escaped when the Education Quality Assurance team made an unplanned visit.

Some teachers were also accused of inciting students against James. One of them, Mrs. Dikko, allegedly told her students to “chase him away” if they saw him within the school grounds.