A young mother and teacher in Imota, Ikorodu, is staring at a possible life sentence after a series of dramatic and contradictory accusations in a child defilement case that has left many questioning the fairness of the justice system.
Mrs Rukayat, a 3-month-pregnant class teacher at the time of the incident, has maintained her innocence from day one. Yet she now finds herself as the sole accused in a matter that has dragged on for over four years, with all other initial suspects discharged.
The nightmare began on October 20, 2021, when the mother of a 3-year-old pupil, Aduke, arrived at the school in tears. She claimed her daughter had refused to allow her to wash her private parts after returning home from school. When pressed, the little girl allegedly said her classmate, Toluwani, had inserted a pencil into her.
The matter was immediately reported to Mrs Rukayat and the headmaster. The teacher, herself a mother of one and heavily pregnant, insisted the allegation was impossible. “Female and male pupils sit far apart in the classroom,” she explained. “Even if I missed anything, my assistant and the nanny were right there. There wasn’t even a single male teacher in the entire school.”
The following day, Aduke’s father rushed her to Ikorodu General Hospital. Doctors confirmed a small perforation in her vagina. Angered, the father attempted to arrest the boy, Toluwani, but police officers at the station quickly intervened. They pointed out that Toluwani was much younger, smaller and frailer than Aduke, making the act physically impossible.
Instead of pursuing that lead, police arrested both the headmaster and Mrs Rukayat. The officers allegedly forced them to write statements admitting to participating in the crime. The pair refused. It took the intervention of the school owner to secure their bail.
The teacher and headmaster were later charged with negligence. While in detention, Mrs Rukayat suffered a miscarriage after what she described as days of torture and starvation.
Further police investigation eventually cleared the teachers and confirmed their account. With Toluwani ruled out, the case should have ended. But Aduke’s father insisted it proceed to court.
That was when the accusations began to shift dramatically.
First, the father claimed Aduke had changed her story: it was now the school owner who stripped and defiled her. Police quickly established that the owner had no office on the premises and was rarely present. He was released.
Next, the father said it was the school bus driver who committed the act when Aduke was the last child on the bus. Investigations again proved this false – Aduke was never left alone with the driver, nor was she ever the last pupil to be dropped off.
The matter eventually reached the Magistrate Court in Ikeja. The court demanded that the father produce the torn uniform and stained pant he claimed to have seen. He could not. He stopped attending court.
For months, the case went cold.
Then an NGO stepped in with what they called a “forensic interview.” A GBV report suddenly emerged claiming Aduke had “finally recalled” the truth: it was her pregnant class teacher, Mrs Rukayat, who allegedly stripped her, caressed her chest and repeatedly penetrated her with a Biro.
All other suspects – Toluwani, the school owner, the bus driver, the headmaster and the assistant teacher – were promptly discharged. The entire case was pinned on Mrs Rukayat alone.
Despite the absence of any physical evidence, medical report linking her to the act, or corroboration, the court declared her guilty and ruled that she faces life imprisonment or a minimum of 20 years in jail.
At the time, Mrs Rukayat was pregnant again. Her doctor warned that continued court appearances could cause her to lose the baby. She stayed away temporarily on medical advice.
The case remained dormant until March 2025, when police suddenly abducted her after her lawyer allegedly informed them she had “jumped bail.” Mother and her nine-month-old baby were locked up in Kirikiri Maximum Prison for four days before she was granted bail.
Since then, the exhausted teacher has been shuttling between courts. She earns just ₦20,000 monthly. Every other party in the original allegation has been discharged. Only Mrs Rukayat remains.
She insists the only thing that can save her now is a fresh, independent forensic GBV report. Even then, she fears she may still serve between five and ten years.
The next hearing is scheduled for March 12.
Mrs Rukayat is appealing directly to the Lagos State Government to intervene in what she describes as a clear case of miscarriage of justice.
This is the story of a teacher whose only crime, it seems, was showing up to work.