By Dipo Awojobi – Three non-academic staff of the Federal Government Girls College (FGGC) Akure, Ondo State have been arrested by men of the state police command for allegedly using the sanitary pads of the students for rituals.
The three suspects, (name withheld) who were said to have been in the illicit business for a long time, were alleged to be in the habit of picking used sanitary pads in the waste bin.
A source within the school explained that the activities of the three Kitchen staff were blown open when some of the students who have been on the women caught them picking used sanitary pads from the bin and reported to the Principal of the school.
She said the Principal, Mrs Florence Ejike, wasted no time in suspending the affected kitchen staff while a special investigation team was set up.
She however, said the action of the Principal did not go down with the girls and staged a protest on Friday but said the timely intervention of the Chairman of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) of the school, Mr Akin Ashimolowo prevented them from the protest.
Ashimolowo was said to have assured the girls that the school authority would not sweep the matter under carpet but was alleged to have taken no positive steps on the matter and the students reported the incident to their parents during last Saturday’s visiting day.
One of the parents who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the arrested suspects have confessed to the act at the police station
She disclosed that one of the suspects is a wife of a prominent politician in the state, saying the case might be swept under the carpet.
She said she was informed by her child that the women had been perpetuating the act for a very long time and said “the question we want to ask the police is that, where did they (suspects) keep all the sanitary pads they have been taking since all these days? Who sent them and who are they working for?”
The State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incident said only two of the women were in the police custody and said the command had commenced investigation on the matter.
Joseph, who also refused to disclose the names of the suspects however said the command had not been able to establish the involvement of the arrested suspects, or what they are using the sanitary pads for as alleged by the students.
He appealed to the parents, management and students of the school to remain calm with an assurance that the police would get to the root of the matter, and said “the matter is still at the realm of allegation, so, as I’m speaking with you we, are still investigating.”
