There are concerns in Rivers State following allegations that female students of Government Comprehensive High School, Taabaa, in Khana Local Government Area of the state, were subjected to virginity testing under the guise of scholarship awards and distribution of exercise books.
The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC-Nigeria) first raised the issue and called for an urgent investigation into allegations that female students were subjected to virginity screening, including claims that the school farm had been destroyed and teachers threatened by the perpetrators.
The advocacy group also urged the Rivers State Government to protect the affected students and school staff members, secure the school’s farm and prevent any further alleged violation of the rights of the girl-child.
In a statement, the group’s Executive Director, Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, said the allegations were contained in a report sent to the organisation and signed by the school’s Vice-Principal, Bieh Gloria.
The report accused a traditional ruler and members of his council of visiting the school to select female students for virginity testing under the guise of awarding scholarships and distributing exercise books.
According to the school, the alleged practice had continued for about seven years, with 16 female students reportedly selected for the exercise on September 17, 2026, triggering objections from students and a peaceful protest.
The group also cited allegations that persons said to have been delegated by the traditional ruler invaded the school on October 8 and destroyed cassava crops on its farm in an attempt to take over and share the land.
The school further alleged that teachers who questioned the purported virginity screening and the exclusion of boys from the programme had been threatened with dismissal and assassination.
However, the traditional ruler denied the allegations when contacted by YEAC-Nigeria through its executive director.
The traditional ruler said he introduced what he described as a virginity roll call in 2020 after receiving reports that some teachers were allegedly molesting female students.
He said he visited the school with his team and asked female students who were virgins to stand up, adding that only one student responded during the first exercise.
According to him, the initiative was intended to discourage early sexual activity and encourage the students to concentrate on their education.
The monarch said the exercise continued annually and that, by 2025, four students had identified themselves as virgins and received N20,000 each as rewards.
He also claimed that his warning to teachers allegedly involved in sexual molestation had caused some teachers to leave the school out of fear.
The monarch said 17 students identified themselves as virgins during the 2026 edition of the programme.
He, however, denied taking students to a health centre for virginity testing, insisting that his intervention was helping the school and its students.
YEAC-Nigeria described the allegations as serious concerns requiring an independent investigation, particularly over the dignity and privacy of female students, the alleged destruction of school property and the reported threats against staff.
The organisation called on the state ministries of Education and Women Affairs, as well as the Rivers State Senior Secondary School Board, to establish an independent fact-finding committee to investigate the claims.
It also urged the Ministry of Education and the Khana Local Education Authority to protect the 16 female students mentioned in the staff report and other pupils, while ensuring that no further virginity testing is conducted.
The group called on the state government to secure the school farm and prevent individuals or groups from encroaching on the property.
It further urged the government to protect Bieh and other staff members who reportedly signed the petition against possible reprisals.
YEAC-Nigeria also called on the Rivers State Police Command to investigate the alleged threats to life, while urging the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), the Child Protection Network (CPN) and other relevant civil society organisations to intervene.
The group appealed to the Khana Local Government Council of Traditional Rulers and the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers to investigate the allegations and take appropriate action to prevent a recurrence.
‘Every girl-child has the right to education in a safe environment free from sexual harassment, degrading treatment and intimidation,’ Fyneface said.
He added: ‘School farms are for practical agriculture for students, not for sharing.’
The group urged all parties to remain peaceful and allow due process to take its course to prevent a breakdown of law and order in Taabaa.
The state Ministry of Education, which immediately rose to the occasion condemned the alleged practice, saying it had launched an investigation to establish the facts and vowing to take appropriate action against any individual or group found culpable.
The ministry in a statement signed on behalf of the Commissioner for Education by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Mina Tele Ikuru, said it received a report that persons claiming to act on behalf of the traditional institution visited the school and selected 16 female students for the exercise on September 17, 2026.
The ministry described the allegations as ‘extremely serious and disturbing’, stressing that no individual, traditional institution, community body or private organisation had the authority to subject students to virginity testing or any other form of abuse.
‘Educational assistance, including scholarships and exercise books, must be provided transparently and without conditions that compromise the safety, dignity or rights of beneficiaries,’ the statement said.
It added that the government would take all appropriate measures, including referring the matter to relevant authorities, against anyone found to have participated in the alleged practice.
The ministry also cautioned traditional institutions and community organisations against activities involving the selection, examination or testing of female students for virginity, whether directly or indirectly.
It directed all schools in Rivers State to uphold the highest standards of child protection and ensure that no student was subjected to degrading, coercive or invasive practices under the guise of cultural tradition, scholarship programmes, disciplinary measures or community development initiatives.
‘The position of the Rivers State Ministry of Education is unequivocal: the safety, dignity and fundamental rights of every student must be protected at all times,’ the statement added.