Mediamec Authorities in Nigeria’s Rivers State are investigating allegations that 16 schoolgirls underwent virginity tests on the instructions of a traditional ruler, after being promised scholarships and free books.
The alleged incident occurred at a government secondary school in Khana, in the country’s oil-producing Niger Delta region.
In a statement dated Thursday, the education ministry said people presenting themselves as representatives of a traditional monarch had visited the school last month and allegedly chosen 16 girls for the tests.
The ministry expressed grave concern over the allegations but provided no details about how the tests were allegedly conducted.
Such incidents are uncommon in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, although traditional leaders retain considerable influence. Some rural communities in the south have also opposed female genital mutilation in recent years.
In a previous case in 2012, police arrested a school principal in the south-western state of Ogun over allegations that 10 pupils had been subjected to virginity tests. The principal was also suspended.
