The Lagos State Police Command, Ikeja have interrogated the Queen’s College, Yaba, teacher, Mr. Olaseni Osifala, alleged of harassing a JSS2 female student in the night.
Police source said that the teacher was quizzed for over 13 hours from Tuesday evening to early morning of yesterday. The detectives told Mr. Osifala of the source of the petition.
As at the time of filling this report, Mr. Osifala was still at the police command waiting for another round of interrogation on the issue.
According to the source, during the interrogation, the detectives told him that there were several groups interested in the case prompting the teacher to ask for the woman who raised the alarm.
During his interrogation yesterday, the detectives informed him of the source of the petition, asked him what he knew about the allegation which he denied and the teacher demanded to see the woman who raised the alarm of her daughter being harassed.
On Monday, Mr. Osifala was invited with the Principal, Dr. Lami Amodu to the police command for questioning and was with his interrogators till 7.00pm after he had written a statement.
The Principal, Mrs. Amodu after writing her statement was asked to go while Mr. Osifala was made to stay behind for further questioning before being asked to go home around 7pm and was directed to report early the next day.
Detectives asked him to report back on Tuesday morning which he did, he was released and summoned again in the afternoon to answer more questions
The allegation took a new twist yesterday as some staff of the college were invited to write statement and interrogated later on what they knew about the harassment.
There is an easy calm in the college following the revelation that the Old Girls Association of Queen’s College was behind the predicament of Mr. Osifala. The association was said to have sent the petition to the police command indicting the teacher.
It was gathered that the woman who accused the teacher of harassing her daughter at the female hostel , has not shown up at the police command since Monday.
A source at the college said that the Principal, Mrs. Amodu has been invited by the Federal Ministry of Education, Abuja, over the issue.
Several calls to her line were not answered but a staff at the college said the principal left Abuja yesterday for Lagos after briefing ministry staff of the situation. The source confirmed a panel had been set up by the ministry.
The Parents – Teachers Association (PTA) of the college on Monday said no member of the body had brought the issue to the attention of the PTA and described the woman as faceless.
SS3 students of the college lead by the Head Girl and some old students staged a protest on Monday in support of the embattled teacher and denounced the allegation.
A lawyer, Barrister Tony Ezimah said it would be difficult for the police to make any headway in the case if the woman who accused the teacher of harassing her daughter did not show up.
Ezimah said the police can act on the petition from the old girls of the college but would require the complaint to prove the allegation against the teacher.
Credit: Sun