The management of Great Kezino Nursery and Primary School, Ikorodu, Lagos, has actually refuted claims made in a viral TikTok video by a previous teacher, Rukayat Tobiloba, who declared that a court intends to prison her over a defilement case.
The school clarified that Tobiloba was not charged with defilement but was arraigned together with another staff member for supposed neglect following a 2021 incident involving two nursery pupils.
In the extensively flowed video, Tobiloba denied misbehavior and declared she was being unjustly targeted. The video, which got traction on social media, was likewise aired on Arise TV on March 7, 2026, where she attracted Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to intervene in the matter.
Responding to the development, the school management said the narrative being circulated by the previous instructor did not properly reflect the realities of the case.
Consulting with reporters, the Head Instructor of the school, Mrs Toyin Edaolaropin, stated examinations carried out after the event resulted in the arraignment of Tobiloba and an assistant teacher, Mrs Rukayat Lawal, for carelessness.
Edaolaropin discussed that Tobiloba was utilized as a Nursery One class teacher on September 13, 2021, while Lawal worked as the assistant instructor in the very same class.
According to her, a pupil determined as Victim A was registered in the class on September 20, 2021, bringing the number of students in the class to about 15.
She said the event emerged on October 26, 2021, after the pupil had actually been dropped off at home by the school bus.
“Victim A was taken home on the school bus after closing hours and handed over to her father at about 4:30 p.m. Later on that night, the student’s mother supposedly got in touch with the instructor, declaring that her child cried while bathing and declared that a male schoolmate, Victim B, had actually placed a pencil into her personal part throughout school hours,” Edaolaropin said.
She said the school instantly declined the accusation, insisting that no such incident occurred while the child was under the school’s supervision.
“The following morning, the teacher checked out the student’s home, where the dad apparently denied the mother’s account of the incident,” she included.
The head instructor said the matter intensified later on that day when the parents got to the school with officers from the Imota Police headquarters and required that the alleged male classmate be produced.
According to her, the cops were amazed to find that the implicated student had to do with three years of ages.
She stated the police directed school authorities to report to the station for investigation and consequently transferred the case to another formation for further queries.
“Both the class teacher and the assistant instructor were later arraigned for negligence,” Edaolaropin said.
She noted that the case is still pending in court and is presently waiting for a review of legal recommendations from the office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
Edaolaropin also preserved that the school initially supported Tobiloba throughout the early phases of the case and even engaged an attorney to represent her.
“Contrary to Tobiloba’s several defamatory stories on both social and traditional media, the school stood firmly with her from the start of her ordeal,” she stated.
According to her, the school worked with an attorney who promptly protected bail for the teacher to prevent her from being remanded in custody.
“Team member who had never ever understood her before even stood as guarantors,” she added.
She stated Tobiloba had actually worked with the school for just six weeks before the occurrence occurred and left the school about 2 weeks after returning from the authorities headquarters.
“She later on transferred to a neighbouring school, however we continued to support her. We invested considerable amounts on lawsuits for nearly four years since we believed absolutely nothing took place to the supposed victim while in the school’s custody,” she stated.
The head instructor added that the school likewise offered Tobiloba’s feeding, transportation and basic well-being whenever she appeared in court.
“On each court day, the school catered for her feeding, transportation and basic well-being, and she was never alone as a minimum of four people accompanied her to court at the school’s expense,” she said.
Edaolaropin further revealed that the assistant instructor associated with the case was discharged by the court after about a year of litigation.
She said the school’s attorney later composed to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions requesting an evaluation of the report arraigning Tobiloba, while the instructor likewise helped with a committee hearing at the Lagos State Home of Assembly.
However, the head instructor declared that Tobiloba later on ended up being hesitant to attend court procedures.
“She last appeared in court on November 10, 2023, after which the case was adjourned to March 5, 2024,” she said.
According to her, the instructor later on notified the school that she was pregnant, prompting the court to adjourn the matter to August 5, 2024.
Edaolaropin stated that when she contacted Tobiloba on July 22, 2024, to remind her of the court date, the teacher presumably stated she had actually moved to Ibadan and was no longer thinking about the case.
“She communicated her loss of interest in the matter in a message sent to me, mentioning that she had actually transferred to Ibadan and would not be available for further court proceedings,” she said.
She added that the school’s attorney protected another adjournment to February 5, 2025, and communicated the date to her, however she allegedly stopped responding to calls and messages.
According to Edaolaropin, the court later on released a bench warrant for Tobiloba’s arrest after she consistently failed to appear in court.
“She was ultimately arrested and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre on March 10, 2025, after jumping bail for several months,” she stated.
Edaolaropin stated that after her arrest, Tobiloba informed the court that she was no longer interested in the services of the legal representative engaged by the school and presented another attorney to represent her.
“At that point, the school had no option but to permit her to manage the case in the way she deemed fit,” she added.
She noted that the school just ended up being conscious of the instructor’s recent allegations when the viral videos surfaced online.
News Source: Punch