The trial of Egberongbe Gbenga, a Further Mathematics teacher accused of sexually abusing at least 11 female students at Babs Fafunwa Millennium Senior Secondary School, Ojodu-Berger, Lagos, was on Monday stalled due to the absence of the state prosecutor, Mr. Philip Ihiehie.
SaharaReporters learnt that the case, which also involves the school’s principal, Mrs. Omotayo Abiodun Osunrinde, could not proceed as scheduled.
“The prosecutor was absent on Monday, and it was adjourned to November 20, 2025,” a source privy to the court proceedings said.
Egberongbe and Osunrinde are standing trial over their alleged roles in a sex-for-marks scandal that has shaken the Lagos public-school system, with the management accused of trying to shield the teacher and suppress evidence of years of sexual exploitation of students.
Earlier reports by SaharaReporters detailed how Egberongbe was accused of preying on his students under the guise of improving their mathematics grades.
One victim recounted how the teacher summoned her alone to his office in Senior Secondary School 1, promising to help her with marks if she “co-operated.”
Another described being cornered in a classroom and fighting him off while shouting for help.
Multiple victims said the abuse continued unchecked for years because Egberongbe was not a government employee but personally hired by the principal, who allegedly ignored complaints.
The case only came to light after Clement James, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member and alumnus of the school, reported the matter to the Lagos State Ministry of Education, Education District VI, and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
Following his report, Egberongbe was arrested in March 2025 and charged in court.
Instead of protecting the victims, the school’s management allegedly turned against the whistleblower, banning him from campus, seizing his phone, and detaining him inside a toilet when he refused to delete evidence of the abuse.
James told SaharaReporters that he escaped only after officials from the Quality Assurance Department arrived unexpectedly at the school.
The teacher was arraigned and later granted bail of N300,000.
The Lagos State DSVA later confirmed that the case was still active, insisting it “will not be swept under the carpet.”
Repeated efforts by SaharaReporters to get comments from Principal Osunrinde and Vice Principal Longe were unsuccessful.
The school authorities declined calls, while the police said it would be prejudicial to discuss a matter already before the court.
