The Premiere Academy Lugbe, Abuja, the school at the centre of controversy over the death of its 14-year-old Senior Secondary (SS1) student, Keren Akpagher, has pushed back on allegations of sexual harassment leading to her death.
Acting Principal of the school, Mr Chris Akinsowon, in a statement on Sunday, in Abuja, said the school has zero-tolerance for sexual harassment of any kind, whether verbal or physical, as well as in-campus misconduct.
He was reacting to insistent on the rape of her daughter by Keren’s mother, Mrs Vivian Akpagher, who spoke for the first time, at a news conference on Wednesday last week, narrating how condom and sperm discharge were found in the deceased’s private part before her death.
The grieving mother who could not hold back her tears made the revelation while addressing journalists, said she rushed her daughter to the hospital shortly after picking her from the school following the complaints of pains and weakness.
She said the doctor while trying to administer drips on her decided to insert a urinary catheter because of her weakness but surprisingly found sperm discharge and condom left in her private part after a medical test.
But Akinsowon, while stressing that the school has nothing to hide over the death of the student, vowed that “in the unlikely event that any form of sexual assault happened to Miss Keren Akpagher in the school, leading to her death, the School Board and Management will join hands with all relevant security agencies to prosecute such a person in line with the laws of the land.”
The acting principal, who provided further clarifications on the alleged assault of the deceased student, however, maintained that Keren’s autopsy result was not yet out, stressing that it is part of the investigation the school insists must be allowed to take its course and earnestly awaits the result.
“The autopsy result is not out yet. It is a part of the investigation process the school insists must be allowed to take its course. We earnestly await the result and plead that nothing should be said to pre-empt whatever the outcome might be,” he said.
On the alleged staff of the school that was sent on indefinite suspension and dismissal, he noted that the dismissal of the staff was “based on a careless talk with a student; that’s part of our commitment in making the school safe for our students and earn the confidence of our parents.”
He described reports that their students have sworn to an ‘oath of secrecy’ as very disturbing, stating that “how can secondary students take an ‘oath of secrecy; this is nothing but blackmail and an attempt to divert the minds of the public from the truth.”
He assured the general public that “as a school established to train future leaders, we will never give in to spineless, chinless and directionless individuals who are all out to cause people to have a negative opinion of the school.
Speaking further on Keren’s demise, he said upon her “admission to the Queen’s Hospital, Wuse Zone 11, Abuja on early Monday, 21st June 2021, the school’s representatives went there to visit her and her mother.
“We reached out to the family on the very Tuesday, 22nd of June, when we were informed of her demise at the hospital, all activities for that day in the school were shut down. The Management staff and some members of staff went to commiserate with her.
“The following day, 23rd June, the visit was repeated with a Board member and some staff to deliver a condolence letter, even though she was not in, we delivered it. On the 24th of June, 4 members of staff went again, but they were denied entry right from the gate of the Estate. The PTA Executives of the school went on the same day and were equally prevented from entering from the gate of the Estate.
“Keren’s mother denied granting any interviews, yet media houses, publications, social media and bloggers have been quoting her. A valedictory Service was conducted in memory of Keren Akpagher in the Academy on Monday, 12th July 2021.”
The leader of the Coalition of Gender-Based Violence Responders, Lemmy Ughegbe, also alleged during the news conference that Premiere Academy was one of the schools engaging in the ignoble act of sexual harassment.
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