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By Emmanuel Adeleke
The Lagos State Government has closed down all Chrisland Schools in the state indefinitely over an alleged immoral act involving students of the school during a trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Commissioner for Education in the state, Folashade Adefisayo, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, while reacting to the incident.
“The attention of the Lagos State Government has been drawn to the alleged sexual violence case involving students of Chrisland Schools which occurred in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“It is pertinent to note that all allegations are being investigated by the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Ministry of Education, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Ministry of Justice and the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, whilst the criminal allegations have been escalated to the Commissioner of Police.
“In view of the allegations, we are committed to ensuring that adequate medical and pscyho-social support is provided.
“This is to reassure members of the public of the state government’s commitment to safety and child protection, especially in ensuring that all child-centred institutions within the state, formulate and implement policies and systems that are compliant with the Executive Order, Lagos State Safeguarding and Child Protection Programme.
“We also use this medium to remind the general public that any person who engages in any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a child, commits an offence and is liable to a custodial sentence of 14 years. This includes “producing, distributing, receiving, or possessing an image of child pornography.”
“In the meantime, all Chrisland Schools within Lagos State are hereby closed, pending further investigations,” the statement read.