Mrs Vihimga Akpagher, mother of 14-year-old pupil of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, has alleged that her daughter died after a condom was found in her private parts.
It was gathered that the SS1 pupil, Karen-Happuch Akpagher, was believed to have been sexually abused before she was withdrawn from the school by her mother on June 19, 2021, for treatment.
Karen-Happuch, however, died two days later in a hospital in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja.
Vihimga told PUNCH that she received a frantic call from her daughter a few days before her death, asking her to come and withdraw her from the school, because she was not feeling well.
She stated that “When I called the principal, he said my daughter would need to be isolated for five days (upon her return). I felt that I should go home since the school said it could take care of her. On my way home, my daughter called again using the school’s phone and asked where I was. I told her that I came, but turned back and she started crying.
“So, I got angry and asked her why she was stressing me since she would be returning home soon for the holiday. So, she asked to speak to her uncle. She said, ‘You people don’t know why I am asking you to come and pick me and you are leaving.’”
She added that while she was still contemplating whether to return to the school, she was informed by the housemother that Karen-Happuch could hardly walk the day before and had been crying. The housemother advised that the young girl be taken to a hospital for proper check-up.
“When we got home, she wasn’t her usual happy self. She switched off all the lights. She could not even look at us in the face. She slept throughout that day and ate some food.
“But by the morning of Monday, June 21, 2021, I noticed that her condition had deteriorated and took her to hospital, and while examining her, the doctor saw a discharge, ran a test and discovered that it was a condom that was left in her. They tested her urine and it contained sperm; and like that, infection and sepsis led to her death.”
When asked if her daughter revealed the identity of the person who defiled her, she said, “I picked her up on June 19 and she died on June 21. She slipped into a coma and died. She was traumatised.”
Responding to if she was sure that Karen-Happuch was defiled at the school and not at home, Vihimga said, “My daughter was diabetic. If that thing had been in her for one month, she would have died long ago.”
Vihimga said she wrote a petition to the FCT Police Command and some employees of the school were invited for questioning.
She added that she got information that at least three employees of the school had been dismissed for sexual abuse, but the management was more concerned with protecting its image.
The Head of the Communications Department of the school, Dele Onakoya, denied the allegations, but admitted that Premiere Academy was aware of the matter.
Onakoya said, “It is not true. But the school is aware of the matter, which we are saying is not true. Why we will not like to comment much on the issue as the matter is before the police and the right thing to do is to allow them to dig deep and get to the root of the matter.
“Any response from the school may compromise their investigation. We don’t want to be seen as covering up anything. We trust in the ability of the police to get to the root of the matter and tell the public what actually happened.”
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Mariam Yusuf, when contacted simply said, “We are investigating the matter.”