A failed attempt by a senior male student to rape his junior has led to the discovery of series of homosexual activities in a secondary school in Katsina.
Gate of the Science and Technical College Ingawa, Katsina State
A senior male student of the Science and Technical College Ingawa in Katsina State who failed in an attempt to r*pe his junior, has created unease among parents and guardians as an official inquiry was launched by the school authority after the matter was reported by the victim, which revealed the depth of sexual abuse in the institution.
According to Daily Trust, the accused senior student was summoned and questioned by the authority, and this led to the uncovering of more names within and outside the school involved in same s*x relationship, and so far, no fewer than 27 students were said to have been dismissed over homosexuality.
All those fingered were asked to write a statement before their parents who were invited to the school before they were purportedly expelled, and from their written and oral submissions, it was also discovered that the students have ‘clients’ in town who they sneak out to meet at night.
Following the growing cases of sodomy in the school, students began to write their parents to withdraw them.
The matter became public when the member representing Kusada constituency in the Katsina State House of Assembly, Abubakar Yahaya, tabled the issue before his colleagues under matters of urgent public attention.
The House immediately mandated its committee on education, under Shehu Tafoki, to investigate the matter and report back its findings and recommendations within one month.
After several postponements, the report was finally scheduled for presentation. The assembly however went into an executive session, a move that barred journalists, Islamic scholars and other stakeholders from witnessing the presentation of the report.
At the end of their closed-door deliberation, which was informed by the sensitive nature of the issue, some recommendations were offered. This led to the expansion of the committee’s work to other institutions, including the state-owned Hassan Usman Polytechnic, after it was discovered that one of the culprits was said to be studying at the institute.
According to the chairman of the committee, Tafoki, three students were fingered as principal culprits with two of them already expelled from the college while the third had gotten admission into the polytechnic.
A source, who is a member of the committee, said this was among some of the recommendations adopted at a close door sitting of the House. A copy of a page of the report obtained in Katsina showed that stern disciplinary action was recommended against any erring student in accordance with the rules and regulations of the school.
Other recommendations include that a sensitisation committee should be set up not only at the college but all boarding schools across the state to enlighten students on the moral, social and health dangers of homosexuality and lesbianism.