…Families Demand Justice Amid Calls to Shut Down School
In a tragedy that has shaken the Federal Capital Territory, the brutal murder of a school nurse and a 14-month-old baby at Clear Hope Foundation Academy in Dawaki, Abuja, has sparked widespread outrage over security lapses in private schools, and renewed calls for urgent government intervention.
Mrs. Patricia Chinyere Anaele, a nurse employed at the school, and a toddler under her care were reportedly murdered on July 23, 2025, by two security personnel attached to the institution.
One of the suspects, David Moses, has confessed to the crime, according to police reports. The second suspect, identified only as “Sunday,” remains at large.
But the bereaved husband, Mr. Emmanuel Anaele, had insisted that the official narrative of a botched kidnap-for-ransom plot was a deliberate attempt to downplay what he calls a “premeditated execution.”
“My wife wasn’t kidnapped. She was murdered on school grounds by the very people entrusted with protecting her,” Anaele told reporters during an emotional press briefing held outside the shuttered school.
According to Anaele, Moses and his accomplice killed both victims and attempted to stage the incident as a kidnapping after collecting a N3 million ransom.
Moses later turned himself in to the FCT Police Command, allegedly after a dispute over how to split the money.
In his confession, reportedly given in the presence of FCT Commissioner of Police Ajao Adewale, Moses detailed how the two victims were killed and dumped in a canal behind the school.
“This wasn’t just a security failure,” Anaele said. “It was a system that allowed unvetted and dangerous individuals to be hired to watch over children.”
His frustration is shared by other members of the Dawaki community, who say the incident was a tragedy waiting to happen. Many allege that the school, located in a structure originally built for commercial use, had long operated without adequate safety measures.
“The building was never meant to be a school,” Anaele added. “It was converted without proper oversight or licensing. Now, lives have been lost because of negligence.”
The school’s proprietor, Dr. Abu Alasa — who also owns Kings Care Hospital in Abuja, has reportedly gone into hiding. Parents, residents, and civil society groups are accusing him of using his influence to suppress the investigation.
Neither Dr. Alasa nor the school’s management have publicly addressed the incident, and multiple attempts to reach him have been unsuccessful.
The FCT Police Command last week paraded suspect David Moses at their headquarters, but pressure continues to mount on authorities to arrest the second suspect and determine the extent of institutional complicity.
Several other school officials, including the Principal and the Manager of the security firm that hired the accused guards, are currently in police custody.
For parents like Mr. Femi Emmanuel, whose child attends the school, the incident is the culmination of long-standing concerns.
“We’ve always had misgivings about how that school operates,” he said.
He said, “Poor supervision, inadequate safety protocols, no transparency. We considered pulling our child out months ago. Now it feels like we waited too long.”
Community leaders and residents have filed petitions with the FCT Administration demanding the permanent closure of the school and a full audit of similar institutions operating in Abuja’s satellite towns without proper regulation.
“This cannot be brushed aside,” said one neighbour who declined to be named. “What happened to Patricia and that baby is a wake-up call. If nothing is done, it will happen again.”
The gates of Clear Hope Foundation Academy remained locked at the time of this report.
As investigations continue, Emmanuel Anaele has vowed to pursue justice for his wife and the child she cared for, not only through the courts but also by advocating for stronger regulatory oversight of private educational institutions.
“This isn’t just about my loss,” he said. “It’s about ensuring that no other family ever has to go through this. If this school is not shut down, if the people responsible are not held accountable, then the system has failed us all.”
