For allegedly caught picking the used sanitary pads of students from waste bins allegedly for ritual purposes, three cooks who are employees of the Federal Government Girls’ College, Akure, have been arrested by men of the Ondo State Police Command.
The suspects, whose names were not released, were alleged to have taken the used pads of girls residing in the school to unknown places outside the school premises.
It was gathered that some students, who caught two of the cooks perpetrating the act, reported the matter to their teachers, who in turn alerted the principal, Mrs Florence Ejikeme.
A source said the principal, on hearing the matter, ordered for the immediate suspension of the three and began investigation on the matter.
Not pleased with the handling of the matter by the school authority, the students attempted to stage a protest but were stopped due to the intervention of the chairman of the Parents Teachers Association, Mr. Akin Ashimolowo.
However, the students were said to have reported the matter to their parents during their visiting day on a Saturday.
A parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity said that the suspects had confessed to the crime at the police station .
She alleged that one of the suspects is a wife of a prominent politician in the state and may want to use their ‘connections’ to sweep the matter under the carpets , adding that her child told her that it was not the first time such a thing would be happening in the school and nothing was being done.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the Ondo State Command, Mr. Femi Joseph, who confirmed the incident said only two of the women were in the police custody while the command had commenced investigation on the matter.
The PPRO, who refused to mention the names of the suspects, however noted that the command had not been able to establish whether or not the suspects used the sanitary pads for ritual purposes as alleged.
