One Primary School Teacher has been accused of sleeping with and infecting fourteen students with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, an accusation which the educator denied.
Alhaji Usman Galadima, a grade 2 teacher, reportedly molested the pupils by engaging in sexual intercourse while threatening to kill them if any other party learns about the incident.
The Central Primary School Karabonde, in Borgu Local Government Area, LGA, of Niger State, made the case public when information about the accused first reached the headmaster, Mallam Abdullahi Toure. He then contacted the headmaster summoned Galadima.
Unfortunate for the accused, in July 2021, two out of the entire fourteen pupils garnered the courage to speak out and reported the incident to Hajiya Maimunat Tanko, spilling details of the whole scenario.
Although, as time progressed, more students in grade 2 opened up that Galadima had abused them, which immediately sparked an investigation by the school authority to get to the roots of the matter.
Primary School Teacher Denies Accusations
Galadima continued to maintain 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 had told their parents that Alhaji Galadima touched them.
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 capitulated and confessed to assaulting only one of the girls.
The matter angered community members who stormed the school with weapons, asking for Galadima, who the authorities had smuggled out of the school when they invaded.
The community members transferred the case to the Borgu Emirate Council, where Galadima was asked to confess and tell the truth to get leniency.
With time, Galadima changed his statement multiple times, claiming he only abused two of the girls before later admitting to using five of them.
So far, 14 girls have come forward, with some revealing how Alhaji Galadima asked them to kiss him and play with his male member. Others said he raped them.
Later, the girls were taken to the hospital when the medical experts discovered that the teacher who molested them is HIV positive.
Meanwhile, a source, whose relatives are among the abused pupils, told LIB that families of the victims are worried the children may not get justice as it appears some elders in New Bussa community are trying to protect the accused.