Juliana Francis
Twenty-seven-year-old Ms Ogechi Okoye lives in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State.
She has two daughters: an eight-year-old girl who is a relative’s child under her care, and her biological daughter, aged three.
Okoye earns a living by selling dog meat and cooking for clients during special occasions.
Despite her efforts, she struggles with accommodation.
When she learned that 47-year-old Mr Monday Iheukwumere was seeking to sublet his apartment, which had six months of tenancy left, she seized the opportunity and paid him, expecting he would vacate immediately.
However, Monday did not move out.
Okoye continued with her life, hoping he would eventually leave. Instead, Monday grew close to the children, even buying them a smartphone.
In November last year, while bathing her three-year-old daughter, Okoye noticed the child flinching in pain when she tried to wash her genital area.
Alarmed, she asked what was wrong.
The child replied: “Monday touch my bombom.”
Shocked, Okoye probed further, and the child described how Monday would show her things on the phone and then violate her.
The child’s condition has since worsened. She passes blood mixed with pus monthly, complains of pain when sitting, and now wears a diaper.
It was later discovered that the eight-year-old girl in Okoye’s care had also been violated.
Recalling her discovery, Okoye said, “I noticed something strange with my baby. It looked like pus was coming out. I took her to a woman who sells herbs, who advised me to go to the health centre.”
She reported the matter to Ejigbo Police Station, where two identification parades were conducted. In the first, Monday was excluded, and the child said her violator was not present. In the second, Monday was included, and the child identified him. Monday later confessed to violating the child once.
However, justice appears uncertain.
Monday’s eldest brother, Mr Uchechi Iheukwumere, allegedly prefers to spend money to settle the case rather than allow Monday to face the law.
Attempts to reach Monday failed, but Uchechi insisted the matter had been settled since last year. He claimed the test conducted at Mirabel Centre showed no penetration, which led to Monday’s bail.
He accused Okoye of extorting him, saying he had given her money multiple times, including ₦100,000 to start a dog meat business and ₦55,000 for medical treatment.
Okoye, however, countered Uchechi’s claims, explaining that he had earlier promised to ensure the survivor received medical treatment but later stopped answering her calls and eventually blocked her line.
She said, “Mr Uchechi kept shouting at me whenever I called him. I didn’t even know Monday had been granted bail. I want justice for my daughter. I just want to understand what is medically wrong with her; she’s losing weight.”
The Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State (2007) prohibits sexual intercourse with a child under Section 27.
Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015) states that defilement of a child carries life imprisonment.
The VAPP Act, Section 1, affirms that anyone under 18 is considered a child and cannot legally consent, with penalties ranging from a minimum of 12 years to life imprisonment.
Section 155 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015) further criminalises accepting money to conceal a felony.
The Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State (2007) also provides that any act exposing a child to harm or denying justice can trigger state intervention.
Okoye alleged that Dr Alagbe of Mirabel Centre examined the survivor and signed a report stating she had “only an infection, not defilement.”
This led to Monday’s release.
However, the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Gender Unit, Lagos State Command, Ms Toyin Kazeem, ordered further examinations at Igando General Hospital (Idera) and WARIF. Their reports conflicted with Mirabel Centre’s findings.
Mirabel Centre, Nigeria’s first Sexual Assault Referral Centre, declined to disclose details, citing confidentiality.
Founder Itoro Eze-Anaba explained: “We do not share client information publicly. Our procedure involves a thorough medical examination, after which a report is sent to the referring police station. Lagos State has a strict no-settlement policy on sexual violence, and we comply fully.”
Similarly, Igando General Hospital (Idera) and WARIF refused to release their findings, stating only the police and human rights activists involved could access the reports.
Toyin Ndidi Taiwo-Ojo, a legal practitioner and founder of Stop the Abuse Against Children and Women Foundation (popularly known as Stop the Abuse Foundation), was the first human rights activist to take up the case, determined to secure justice for Okoye and her daughter.
Her first step was to ensure that Okoye and her child were removed from the abusive environment.
She personally secured and paid for a new apartment for them.
However, tensions arose after the Mirabel Centre declared that the three-year-old had not been violated but was suffering from an infection.
Taiwo-Ojo explained that she had no reason to doubt the doctor’s findings, but she was disheartened when Okoye began spreading claims that Taiwo-Ojo and advocate Blessing Adeyemi, whom Taiwo-Ojo had asked to follow up on the case in her absence, had collected money from Uchechi, the suspect’s brother.
“The truth is that the woman is not sincere. She went behind my back to speak with people I am connected to. I have a reputation to protect, yet she didn’t say anything to me directly. Instead, she told someone else, who eventually told me. Even the mandated reporter was shocked.”
Taiwo-Ojo emphasised that her involvement was purely to help; she had been giving Okoye money for food, supporting her business, and caring for her family.
She said that Mirabel Centre initially suggested the child had an infection, later clarifying that poor hygiene was a contributing factor.
Despite the confusion, Taiwo-Ojo continued to follow up, even when the report indicated no evidence of penetration.
But as Okoye’s stories became inconsistent, Taiwo-Ojo decided to step back and informed her contacts of the situation.
Taiwo-Ojo disclosed that she also heard that the alleged perpetrator admitted to violating the minor, adding that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO)in charge of Ejigbo Police Station confirmed that the child was bleeding, which prompted an immediate arrest.
Taiwo-Ojo later accompanied the survivor, her mother, and sister to the hospital, though Advocate Blessing handled some of the gender-related aspects.
Taiwo-Ojo expressed surprise at later claims of penetration, given Mirabel’s initial report.
As a lawyer, she noted the difficulty of pursuing a rape charge without medical evidence. Still, the perpetrator’s confession and the child’s bleeding made the case deeply troubling.
Taiwo-Ojo argued that if Nigeria had adequate shelters, Okoye should face consequences for negligence, and the government should assume care of her daughter.
Taiwo-Ojo said: “At the end of the day, this is about getting justice for a little girl who desperately needs it.”
Advocate Blessing Adeyemi, when contacted, explained that the child was taken to the Mirabel Centre, where the attending doctor stated that the survivor was dirty and appeared to have an infection.
The doctor prescribed medication and requested that the child be brought back on a scheduled date.
Adeyemi said, “When we brought the survivor the second time, the doctor examined her and said there was no penetration, only an infection.
“Based on the doctor’s report, the alleged perpetrator was released. I cannot assist in sending someone innocent to prison. However, I was shocked to later hear that the child is now bleeding and passing out pus as a result of the abuse. Mirabel Centre had earlier said there was no abuse, no penetration, only infection.”
The OC Gender, Kazeem, ordered the rearrest of Monday, and on April 21, the case was charged at Samuel Ilorin Court, Ogba.
The parties arrived at 10:00 a.m., but by past 2:00 p.m., they were informed that the magistrate was not present.
They were asked to return on Thursday, April 23, at 2:00 p.m.
However, a mild drama unfolded at the court when the relatives of the accused attempted to bribe human rights activists, the reporter, and Okoye to obstruct justice on that Tuesday.
Okoye was initially offered ₦500,000 to withdraw the case; the offer was later increased to ₦1 million, and eventually to ₦1.5 million.
On that Thursday, Okoye failed to appear in court and informed Mr Solomon Neye, Case Manager of the Ambassador for Peace and Enlightenment Foundation, who has been closely following up and monitoring the case, that she had decided to accept ₦1.5 million from the perpetrator’s family.
The reporter reached out to Okoye to confirm why she refused to appear in court and whether it was true she had accepted ₦1.5 million from the alleged perpetrator’s family.
A woman, claiming to be Okoye’s sister, answered the call and disclosed the latest developments in the case.
Hear her:
To Be Continued Tomorrow
