‎Ikorodu School Case: Accused Teachers Lament Prolonged Legal Uncertainty, Disruption Of Lives
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‎By Ifeoma Ikem

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‎More than three years after a controversial child-injury case involving two nursery school teachers in Ikorodu first triggered legal proceedings, the matter has evolved into a protracted battle of petitions, official correspondence and calls for intervention by top authorities in Lagos State.
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‎What began as a negligence charge following an alleged classroom incident has since drawn in multiple institutions including the Ministry of Justice and Lagos State House of Assembly.
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‎This comes amidst claims that the facts of the case were distorted and that the accused may be facing punishment for an offence they insist never occurred.
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‎At the centre of the controversy is the legal advice issued on September 16, 2022, in the case of Commissioner of Police vs. Ambassador Rukayat Tobiloba and Rukayat Lawal, two teachers formerly employed at Great Kezino Nursery and Primary School in Adamo, Ikorodu.
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‎While the original charge filed before a Magistrate Court in Ikeja focused on alleged negligence after a three-year-old pupil sustained an injury, subsequent public narratives and social media discussions introduced claims of defilement; a development the defence maintains is both inaccurate and deeply damaging.
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‎According to documents and correspondence made available to relevant authorities, repeated requests were submitted to the Lagos State Ministry of Justice seeking a review of the legal advice, which the petitioners argue may have been based on incomplete or manipulated information.
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‎The initial appeal was directed to the then Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), urging his office to re-examine the case file and ensure that prosecutorial decisions reflected verifiable facts rather than assumptions or public sentiment.
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‎When those efforts yielded no immediate resolution, the matter was escalated to the legislative arm of government.
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‎In a strongly worded petition dated June 27, 2023, titled “Save Our Souls,” the petitioner called on the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, to intervene and prevent what was described as “unjust, unreasonable and irrational punishment of an innocent soul.”
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‎The petition alleged that the case had morphed from a school-based accident inquiry into a criminal prosecution carrying far more severe implications, despite what the defence described as gaps and inconsistencies in the investigative record.
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‎The Assembly responded within weeks.
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‎On July 19, 2023, invitations were issued to all relevant parties, which included officials from the Ministries of Education and Youth and Social Development, representatives of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), school authorities and the defendants, to attend a fact-finding hearing at the Assembly Complex in Alausa, Ikeja.
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‎The session, held on July 24, 2023, took place before a five-member Ad-Hoc Committee chaired by Hon. David Seton, representing Badagry II Constituency.
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‎Participants described the proceedings as extensive, with testimonies and submissions presented from multiple stakeholders connected to the case.
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‎According to accounts from attendees, the committee observed that several aspects of the matter remained unresolved and that important questions had not been conclusively addressed during earlier investigations.
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‎The panel reportedly urged the DPP to review the evidence once more and determine whether the defendants truly had a case to answer, while also indicating that it would compile its own report for onward transmission to the Attorney-General’s office.
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‎For the families of the accused teachers, the hearing raised hopes that the long-running dispute might finally be resolved.
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‎However, months passed without any publicly known outcome, prompting repeated follow-up letters and phone calls to legislative officials.
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‎As the impasse persisted, attention shifted again to the executive arm of government following a change in leadership at the Ministry of Justice.
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‎On October 9, 2024, another appeal was submitted, but this time to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN).
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‎The letter urged the state’s chief law officer to personally review the case and ensure that justice is neither delayed nor denied.
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‎The communication emphasized the emotional toll the prolonged legal uncertainty has taken on the individuals involved, particularly the accused teachers, whose professional and personal lives have been significantly disrupted.
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‎Legal analysts observing the case say it highlights broader systemic challenges within the criminal justice process, especially in matters involving children, where public sensitivity is high and reputational consequences can be severe even before a court reaches a verdict.
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‎They note that while child protection must remain paramount, due process is equally essential to prevent miscarriages of justice.
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‎The situation has also reignited debate about the role of legal advice issued by prosecutorial authorities and the mechanisms available for reviewing such decisions when new information emerges or concerns about investigative integrity are raised.
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‎Meanwhile, attempts to obtain official comments from relevant government agencies were unsuccessful as at press time.
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‎As petitions continue to circulate within government channels, observers are hopeful that the Ministry of Justice would do the needful and bring the long-running saga to a close.
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‎Until then, the controversy surrounding the Ikorodu school incident remains unresolved, leaving the accused, the complainant’s family and the wider community in a state of uncertainty, thus reinforcing the enduring demand for transparency, accountability and closure in one of the more contentious child-related legal disputes to surface in Lagos in recent years.