The mother of the deceased student of the Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, Vivien Akpagher, has broken her silence over the events leading to the death of the 14-year-old.In her address at the Federal Capital Territory Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Abuja, on Wednesday, the grieving mother called on relevant government agencies to help her get justice.
Vivien’s reaction is coming weeks after her daughter, Keren-Happuch, was allegedly raped at the private school in Abuja and she died days later from sepsis.She stated, “I named my daughter Keren-Happuch, which means God has filled my cup, but Premiere Academy, Lugbe, took the cup, emptied the water and broke the cup.
“The cup I gave to Premiere Academy was full; they returned it to me empty and broken. This is too much to take. My heart is in turmoil.”
She called out the school for what she called a “deliberate distortion of facts and publicity stunt by the school to preserve their business interest without regards to the life of my daughter, which they have cut short.”
Vivien said, “You would have noticed that since my daughter died, instead of the management of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, allowing my family to grieve and mourn her, it has been preoccupied with looking good to the public rather than work to fish out the rapist.
“Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, has put the business interest of the school above the life of my 14-year-old girl.
“They have even tried to tarnish her image with ugly stories. Premiere Academy, Lugbe, has been embarking on major publicity stunts.
“Five press conferences and countless press releases are all pointers to the desperation of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja. But interestingly, the more it embarks on this publicity frolic, the more it commits unforced errors.”
She accused the school management of embarking on “publicity stunts” to look good, while her family had been denied the right to mourn in peace.
The mother said, “On the 22nd day of June, 2021, my 14-year-old daughter, Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, died. Keren-Happuch, whom I fondly call Didoo, was a boarding student of Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja.
“On the 18th of June, 2021, my daughter informed me that she had an eye infection and asked me to come and pick her by 5pm. But her teacher, whose phone was used to call me, advised that I come to pick her on Saturday, 19th of June 2021, being a call day, to avoid landing her (teacher) in trouble since her phone was used.
“On the 19th of June, being an official call weekend, Keren-Happuch called me, begging that I come to pick her as she was ill with an eye infection.
“I called the school matron to secure an exit permit that Saturday for Keren, but was told that she would be placed in isolation for seven days on her return from home.“The matron suggested an alternative of the school driving her to the clinic and taking her back to avoid isolation.
“After her treatment, Keren was distraught when she learnt that she was going back to school and begged to go home with me. I promised her that I would secure an exit from the school and pick her. I called the principal, who agreed to give her one.
“Following that assurance from the principal, I got to Premiere Academy, Lugbe, on the same day around 1pm to pick my daughter, but wasn’t granted permission to pick her. The matron assured me that they were taking good care of her and that she was fine.”The grieving mother noted that contrary to claims by the school, her daughter did not receive the care she required.
Also speaking at the event, the leader of a coalition of gender-based respondents and Executive Director, Men Against Rape Foundation, Lemmy Ughegbe, said they had irrefutable documentary evidence of several sexual abuse in the school, alleging that the it was shielding abusers and covering up such crimes.
The Principal of Premiere Academy, Christopher Akinsowon, however, denied the allegations levelled against the school by Vivien, adding that if indeed the child was raped, it could not have been on the school premises, because the school had zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Akinsowon said the deceased neither informed her friends nor her older brother, who is also a student of the school, about being harassed sexually. He, therefore, stated that it would be necessary to await the autopsy report.
The principal stated, “The autopsy result is not yet out. It is part of the investigation the school insists must be allowed to take its course. We earnestly await the result. We have demonstrated that the school has zero tolerance for sexual harassment of any form, either verbal or physical.
“The employee that was sent on indefinite suspension and dismissed was based on careless talk with the student; that is part of our commitment to making the school safe for our students and earning the confidence of our parents.
“The school is very much interested in the issue of sexual assault allegations. We have maintained that in the unlikely event that any form sexual assault happened to Miss Keren Akpagher in the school leading to her death, the school board and management will join hands with all relevant security agencies to prosecute such personnel in line with the laws of the land.”
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