A tragic incident was averted at Chresol College in the Ojodu area of Lagos State after an alert teacher, Victoria Sofoluwe, discovered rat poison in a preschool pupil’s lunch flask.
Shofoluwe discovered the toxic substance while helping the young boy serve his meal during lunchtime.
How the poisoned food was discovered
Shofoluwe, who maintains a classroom routine of asking pupils to transfer their food into an extra plate before eating, noticed something unusual when serving the boy’s meal.
As she dished out the noodles from the flask, she observed a dark, discoloured layer at the bottom that emitted an offensive, pungent odour.
Suspicious of the food’s appearance, the teacher immediately withheld the meal and contacted the boy’s mother. The mother was shocked to hear the news and explained that her husband had prepared the child’s lunch before leaving for work.
Househelp confesses after father’s intervention
When contacted by his wife, the pupil’s father confirmed that he cooked the noodles himself but instructed their newly employed domestic help to dish the food into the boy’s school flask.
Upon confrontation, the househelp confessed to lacing the preschooler’s noodles with rat poison. She further disclosed that she had also added the toxic substance to the family’s main pot of stew at home.
The domestic help was reportedly hired on a Thursday and carried out the poisoning attempt the following day, Friday.
Police arrest suspect as motive remains unknown
Following her confession, the suspect was handed over to the police for further investigation. Authorities have launched an inquiry into the incident, though the suspect has not yet disclosed any motive for her action.
The teacher’s alertness has drawn widespread praise online, with parents and child safety advocates calling for stricter background checks and thorough vetting procedures when employing domestic workers.
See the video on our Telegram Channel.
