JSS1 Student Sues Teachers & Ekiti Govt, Court dismisses case

The case of a JSS1 student who was scolded for indecent dressing has been dismissed. The student had sued the principal and ekiti government for alleged violation of her fundamental rights.

The Ado Ekiti Division of the State High Court on Wednesday dismissed a suit instituted by a nine-year-old Junior Secondary School 1 student of Mary Immaculate Girls Grammar School, Ado Ekiti, filed by her mother.

Respondents in the suit are the School Principal, Oluwasanmi Funmilayo, Ekiti Commissioner of Education, Ekiti Teaching Service Commission, and the Government.

Delivering judgement, Justice Lekan Ogunmoye, held that the applicant did not place before the court credible and sufficient evidence to convince it to grant her prayers.

“It is also trite, that applications for the enforcement of fundamental rights are granted once the rights of the applicants are shown to have been breached or threatened.

“This was not done in the instant case.

“The sole issue for determination is hereby resolved against the claimants, the reliefs sought are hereby dismissed,’’ he said.

Counsel to the applicant, Timileyin Omotoso among other reliefs sought a declaration that the physical, mental, violence, abuse, negligent treatment of the nine-year-old JSS 1 student was illegal and unconstitutional.

He said it was a violation of his client’s fundamental right to the dignity of her person as guaranteed under section 34(1)(a) of the Constitution of Nigeria as amended and Article 5, of the African Charter accordingly.

He also sought for an order directing the respondents to immediately lift the suspension placed on the applicant on May 19 in the school and reabsorb her to continue her education and learning forthwith”.

Furthermore, he sought for an order directing the respondents to pay N15 million as general damages for the violation of her fundamental rights to education, dignity, fair hearing and the protection of the Child Right.

Counsel for the respondents, S.B.J. Bamise, in his counter affidavit, described all averments in the Originating Summons, as not only untrue but total falsehood.

According to one of the respondents, Funmilayo Oluwasanmi, the girl on May 19, went to the school with a weird, indecent and unapproved hairdo, in an attempt to correct and scold her, she shouted at her teacher, that it was her mother who made the hair for her birthday.

Mrs Oluwasanmi said following her unruly behaviour, she was punished and given two strokes of cane and warned not to come to school with such hairdo again.

He said during a meeting with the girl and her mother, she called her husband, Moses Igenoisa, a Police Officer, who stormed the school with five fully armed Policemen.

“On their arrival, they beat up and harassed some school teachers.

“They forced open the school gate and in the process, wounded the gateman,” he said.