07/09/2025
One of our former teachers wrote this:
HOW I WAS ACCUSED OF SE*UAL MOLESTATION BY A FEMALE STUDENT.
It is no more a trend that some women hide under the influence of being a woman to accuse men of se*ually molestating them. This is not to say that some irresponsible men do not engage in this unruly behaviour.
As a young male teacher, I took it upon myself to be the number one formator and disciplinarian to my students. On the other hand, I was very close to my students and I was the mouthpiece of the students to the school authority. I acted in the capacity of being the middle person between my students and the school authority.
It is not news that the education system in Nigeria has become a lucrative business. When you have a good population of students, then your business is moving to the permanent site. My school started losing students to a nearby private school because we tried to stick to a certain standard which included insisting that students who didn't gain promotion to another class must repeat their present class.
Before Christmas break, some female students approached me and pleaded with me that they would like to plait their hair for Christmas celebration so they wouldn't look different from their peers. I took their request to the school authority. After various deliberations, the school authority approved the request on the condition that all the students will maintain a clean haircut by resumption in January.
When school resumed, some students obeyed while some who felt they are above the law refused to obey the instructions for more than two weeks. The school authority shifted all the blame to me and I was obliged to make the erring students to comply with the initial agreement.
It was on a Thursday, and we usually have hymn practice where they convene in the school hall for hymns rehearsals from the Catholic Hymn Book.
I used that opportunity to separate the students who refused to shave their hair. I tried to punish them. It was the usual giving of a little shave on the hair to force the student to go to the saloon to have a clean haircut. (This was the normal practice back then, I don't know if it is still obtainable in our schools now). This girl hit me so hard in my hand, I went straight to my table and grabbed my can*e. Just one flo'g, this girl pushed me and decided to throw pu'nches. Students shouted on top of their voices and the SS3 students saved the situation.
An auntie to the girl was a police officer serving in a nearby police station. The next day, I had gone back to school because I was an undergraduate in one federal university. I was in the lecture hall when the school vice principal's call kept coming in, I had to excuse myself to go and take the call. Lo and behold, the girl came to the school with her auntie who was a police officer with the report that I fondled her brea×st. Oh my God! I was dumbfounded. The only thing that came to my head was to refer them to any student of their choice as to tell the story of what actually transpired the previous day. The incident happened during the school's common activity.
They called a senior student whom they asked if he was a witness to what happened between the girl and I, according to the vice principal, he said that the student responded, 'what this girl did to Uncle John is not good.' The girl kept shouting on top of her voice and mentioned her friend who was sitting next to her as a witness. The vice principal sent for her favourite witness. According to the vice principal, she asked her if Uncle John pressed XYZ breas×t. The student shouted, "NO!" As the accuser wanted to continue her rants, 'gbuah!' It was not a tyre burst, her auntie actually gave her a dirty s!ap and I was vindicated.
Imagine if the students decided to punish me and play along with the girl.
Imagine if the woman didn't come to the school and chose to call me out on social media.
Chief John Ikwuanusi
(Ezeana Chinemeze)
Liverpool, United Kingdom 🇬🇧