Chrisland School Child Defilement Scandal: Expert Releases Results of Polygraph Test Carried Out on Accused School Supervisor, Adenekan
Adegboyega Adenekan, the Chrisland School Supervisor, who allegedly defiled a two-year and 11-month old girl failed a polygraph test, an expert, Mr Adebayo Falola, told an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Special Offences Court on Wednesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Falola apart from being a Polygraph Expert, is a Security Consultant with the Halogen Security Company Ltd.
Led in evidence by Mr Babajide Boye, the polygraph expert who disclosed that he had worked with Halogen Security Company Ltd for 15 years, said polygraph test was used to investigate theft, burglary, infidelity and sexual harassment, among others.
The Chief State Counsel, Falola in his lengthy testimony, said he was contacted from the United States by the father of the Chrisland pupil who enquired about his company’s polygraph services.
He noted that shortly after, the child’s mother came to his office for the test with her uncle as well as 47-year-old Adenekan, and representatives from the school.
Adebayo, who claimed to have over 15 years experience in polygraphy examination, said the report of Adenekan’s test showed that he scored -9, indicating that he was deceptive and was not telling the truth about the alleged defilement of the girl referred to as Child X.
Adebayo, a retired Nigerian Army Intelligence and Forensic expert, who was trained at the American Institute of Polygraph Examination, said the united accuracy of a polygraph test was 99.9 per cent, adding that the remaining “.01 per cent is just a give-away”.
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Adebayo said 10 questions, including relevant and non-relevant ones, were set for Adenekan.
”The defendant sat down and said he was prepared to undergo the test as he needed to exonerate himself. He was asked if he is suffering from hypertension, diabetics and he said ‘No’. I asked for his qualification and I explained my qualification to him as to what qualifies me as a polygraph expert.
I made him touch all the equipment we use and explained their functions to him, including the one that measures breathing, blood pressure, the two fingers to be clipped and I asked him if any of them shocked him and he said ‘No’.”
He continued;
”We conducted the polygraph examination on Nov. 15, 2016. Prior to that day, the child’s mother contacted us and told me that her daughter was molested by a teacher of the school and she wanted to conduct a polygraph on the teacher.
The school authorities called me on Nov. 14, 2016 and I requested that that the alleged perpetrator, the mother and representatives give letters authorising Halogen to conduct the test. The next day, two school representatives, the alleged perpetrator and the mother came with an uncle of hers.
We all sat together because I needed to know the scenario. I was told the perpetrator allegedly molested the child and the school representatives denied that it happened.
Mr Adenekan said he needed to exonerate himself and said he would take the polygraph test and we all agreed that he should take the test.
Only the examiner and the examinee are to be in the polygraph laboratory and consent form was signed by Adenekan and it said he was not threatened nor maltreated into taking the test.
We don’t do polygraph tests for pregnant women, underage children, the elderly who are 70-years-old and people with specific ailments like hypertension and diabetes.
There must be no pause and within 25 seconds, you must give an answer. I asked Adenekan if he was diabetic or hypertensive and he said no and added that his family had no history of the ailments.
The result are in three stages which are deceptive, non deceptive and inconclusive. The outcome of this was minus nine which showed that Adenekan was deceptive to the case under investigation as at that time.”
During Adebayo’s testimony, Boye the prosecutor sought to tender the result of the polygraph test, consent form and polygraph charge sheet as evidence.
Mr Olatunde Adejuyigbe (SAN), defence counsel to Adenekan objected to the tendering of the documents. He told the court that the polygraph evidence was not recognised under Nigerian law.
The report, Adejuyigbe argued, did not conform with the provisions of the Evidence Act, describing it as an opinion produced by a machine.
“The totality of it is inadmissible by the Evidence Act. Nothing in Sections 68 to 76 permit admissibility of an opinion as to whether somebody is lying or not.
Also no foreign law can be used to determine the admissibility of the report. The document that the prosecution is seeking to tender is excluded by the Evidence Act,” the SAN argued.
He said the use of polygraph test was not supported by any law in Nigeria, warning that Nigeria should not open its door to opinions generated from a machine.
“We urge the court to reject the polygraph report especially since the defendant has not put his character on the line for examination and because opinion formed by a machine can be manipulated”, he argued.
But Boye insisted that the report is admissible because it is relevant to the case. Boye said the defendant was not compelled to undergo the test. The report, the prosecutor said, did not adjudge the defendant but would assist the court to reach a decision on the matter.
“He consented to the examination and even filled the consent form.”
Justice Sybil Nwaka adjourned the case until Oct. 5 for ruling on whether the court will admit the documents as exhibits.
It was also gathered that Adenekan who was arraigned on Jan. 29, pleaded not guilty to a charge of defilement of a child. The prosecution alleges that Adenekan committed the offence sometime in November 2016 at Chrisland School, Victoria Garden City (VGC), Lagos.
According to the prosecution, the defendant defiled the complainant by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her.
The offence violates Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011 which recommends a life sentence for anyone convicted.