By Adebisi Adeyemi Lagos
The Niger State Ministry of Education has suspended Malam Mohammed Mohammed, a Vice Principal who impregnated a female student, Miss Faith Danjuma, Alhaji Yahaya Garba, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, has said.
Garba told newsmen in Minna that the ministry had written to the office of the state Accountant-General after the findings and recommendations of a committee set up by the State’s Secondary School Education Board, demanding the accused to be placed on half salary.
According to him, after the ministry received a report on March 28 that the accused had impregnated a JSS 3 student, the ministry directed the board to set up a disciplinary committee within the school.
“An eight-man committee headed by Mrs Zainba Kolo, a Vice Principal in the school, was inaugurated to investigate the allegation against the Vice Principal.
“The committee was to suggest appropriate measures to be taken against the accused, if the allegation was confirmed to be true, based on the provisions of the public service regulation.
“The committee came out with the following findings: that the student is pregnant as proved by the laboratory test conducted at Minna General Hospital.
“That Faith is seven weeks and six days pregnant as at the time of the findings and is expected to deliver Nov. 9, and that the accused was responsible for the pregnancy.”
Garba explained that the committee recommended that the accused be compelled to take responsibility of the child and the mother.
He added that the committee also recommended that the accused should be transferred to a male school after the investigation and if not found guilty.
The permanent secretary disclosed that another committee headed by Mrs Eunice Gana was set up within the board on March 30, to further investigate the matter.
He said that the committee’s findings showed that the Vice Principal admitted impregnating the student, a case of professional misconduct and that the pregnancy was confirmed from the medical report issued by a General Hospital.
He further said that the school’s disciplinary report was in line with findings of the board.
Garba noted that the statutory report of the committee recommended that the Vice Principal should be suspended with immediate effect and placed on half salary, pending the determination of the case.
He added that another Vice Principal was appointed to take over the accused duties.
“The committee also recommended for the victim to be transferred to another school and the ministry immediately acted on the recommendation.
“The recommendation was forwarded to the state Civil Service Commission and the Ministry of Finance was directed to place the accused on half salary pending the termination of the case.
“The accused has been on suspension till date and was never promoted,’’ he explained.
