A teacher at the Central Primary School Karabonde, Borgu Local Government Area, Niger State, has been accused of defiling 14 pupils of the school.
Grade 2 teacher, Alhaji Usman Galadima, is said to have abused the girls sexually, after which he threatened to kill them if they spoke about it.
In July, two of the pupils reported to the school’s headmistress, Hajiya Maimunat Tanko, that their teacher had molested them sexually.
The headmistress reported to the headmaster, Mallam Abdullahi Toure, who summoned the accused teacher.
Galadima denied the students’ claims.
More students in grade 2, however, came forward that Galadima had abused them and the school began investigation into the matter.
Galadima maintained his innocence until a delegation sent by Bà Karabonde, the traditional head of Karabonde, arrived at the school to complain that some girls from grades 2 and 3 of the school had also told their parents that Alhaji Galadima had touched them inappropriately.
The kids claimed Galadima told them to come to school very early and he took advantage of their early arrival to assault them.
After the delegation arrived at the school, Galadima confessed to assaulting only one of the girls.
The members of the community stormed the school with weapons, asking for Galadima, who had been smuggled out of the school by this time, to come out.
The case was transferred to the Borgu Emirate Council and Galadima was promised leniency if he confessed.
Galadima changed his statement multiple times, claiming he only abused two of the girls before later admitting to abusing just five of them.
Fourteen girls have, have so far, come forward, with some revealing how Alhaji Galadima asked them to kiss him and play with his male genitalia. Others said he raped them.
The girls were taken to the hospital when it was discovered that the teacher who molested them is HIV positive.
A source, whose relatives are among the abused pupils, said that families of the victims are worried that the children may not get justice as it appears some elders in New Bussa community are trying to protect the accused.
He added that after the girls were taken to the hospital for tests to determine if Alhaji Galadima infected them with HIV, the hospital failed to give the families the results of the test and only prescribed medications for the kids.
