The management of Great Kezino Nursery and Primary School in Ikorodu, Lagos, has dismissed claims made in a viral TikTok video by a former teacher, Rukayat Tobiloba, who alleged that she could be jailed over a defilement case.
The school clarified that the former staff member was not charged with defilement but was instead arraigned for alleged negligence following a 2021 incident involving two nursery pupils.
Tobiloba’s video, which has circulated widely on social media, was also broadcast by Arise TV on March 7, 2026. In the video, she denied any wrongdoing and appealed to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the matter.
However, the school’s management described the narrative presented in the video as misleading and not reflective of the actual facts surrounding the case.
Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, the head teacher of the school, Mrs Toyin Edaolaropin, explained that internal investigations conducted after the incident led to the arraignment of Tobiloba and an assistant teacher, Mrs Rukayat Lawal, on allegations of negligence.
Edaolaropin said Tobiloba was employed as a Nursery One class teacher on September 13, 2021, while Lawal served as her assistant in the same class.
According to her, a pupil identified as Victim A joined the class on September 20, 2021, bringing the total number of pupils to about 15.
She explained that the issue surfaced on October 26, 2021, after the pupil had 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 that night, the pupil’s mother allegedly contacted the teacher, claiming that her daughter cried while bathing and alleged that a male classmate, Victim B, had inserted a pencil into her private part during school hours,” Edaolaropin said.
The school, she noted, immediately rejected the claim, maintaining that no such incident occurred while the child was under its supervision.
Edaolaropin added that the teacher visited the pupil’s home the following morning, where the father reportedly denied the mother’s account of the incident.
The matter escalated later that day when the parents arrived at the school with officers from the Imota Police Station, demanding that the alleged male classmate be produced.
According to the head teacher, the police were surprised to discover that the accused pupil was only about three years old.
The officers subsequently directed the school authorities to report to the station for investigation before transferring the matter to another formation for further inquiries.
“Both the class teacher and the assistant teacher were later arraigned for negligence,” Edaolaropin stated.
She noted that the case remains pending in court and is currently awaiting a review of legal advice from the office of the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.
Edaolaropin also said the school initially supported Tobiloba throughout the early stages of the case, including engaging a lawyer to represent her.
“Contrary to Tobiloba’s several defamatory stories on both social and conventional media, the school stood firmly with her from the beginning of her ordeal,” she said.
According to her, the lawyer hired by the school secured bail for the teacher shortly after her arrest to prevent her from being remanded in custody.
She added that some staff members who barely knew Tobiloba at the time also stood as guarantors for her bail.
Edaolaropin said the teacher had worked at the school for about six weeks before the incident occurred and left roughly two weeks after returning from the police headquarters.
“She later moved to a neighbouring school, but we continued to support her. We spent substantial amounts on litigation for nearly four years because we believed nothing happened to the alleged victim while in the school’s custody,” she said.
The head teacher also claimed that the school consistently provided financial and logistical support for Tobiloba during court appearances.
“On each court day, the school catered for her feeding, transportation and general well-being, and she was never alone as at least four people accompanied her to court at the school’s expense,” she added.
Edaolaropin further revealed that the assistant teacher initially charged alongside Tobiloba was discharged by the court after about a year of litigation.
She said the school’s lawyer later wrote to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions requesting a review of the report that indicted Tobiloba.
According to her, the former teacher also facilitated a committee hearing at the Lagos State House of Assembly regarding the matter.
However, the school alleged that Tobiloba later became reluctant to continue attending court proceedings.
“She last appeared in court on November 10, 2023, after which the case was adjourned to March 5, 2024,” Edaolaropin said.
The teacher subsequently informed the school that she was pregnant, prompting the court to adjourn the case again to August 5, 2024.
Edaolaropin stated that when she contacted Tobiloba on July 22, 2024, to remind her of the court date, the former teacher reportedly said she had relocated to Ibadan and was no longer interested in pursuing the case.
“She conveyed her loss of interest in the matter in a message sent to me, stating that she had relocated to Ibadan and would not be available for further court proceedings,” she said.
According to the head teacher, the school’s lawyer later secured another adjournment to February 5, 2025, and communicated the new date to Tobiloba, but she allegedly stopped responding to calls and messages.
Edaolaropin said the court subsequently issued a bench warrant for Tobiloba’s arrest after she repeatedly failed to appear in court.
“She was eventually arrested and remanded at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre on March 10, 2025, after jumping bail for several months,” she said.
Following her arrest, the former teacher reportedly informed the court that she no longer wanted to be represented by the lawyer hired by the school and instead engaged another legal counsel.
“At that point, the school had no option but to allow her to handle the case in the way she deemed fit,” Edaolaropin added.
She said the school only became aware of the teacher’s recent allegations when the videos began circulating widely on social media.
