Juliana Francis
A woman, claiming to be Okoye’s sister, answered the call and disclosed the latest developments in the case.
Hear her words: “Nobody is helping Okoye. Nobody is giving her money. She’s exhausted. The situation in the country is tough; there’s no money. Whether she went to court or not, it’s the same thing. The child is receiving treatment. Right now, money is not the priority; the focus is on the child’s recovery.”
When asked who was paying for the treatment, she clarified: “It’s the eldest brother, Uchechi. He only deposited money at the hospital where the child is being treated. We have not collected any money.”
Pressed further on how much was deposited, she admitted: “I don’t know.”
Mr Solomon Neye, Case Manager at the Ambassador for Peace and Enlightenment Foundation, recounted the organisation’s involvement in the case and explained why they challenged the Mirabel Centre’s report, which had exonerated Monday.
Neye narrated, “Our intervention began on March 20. We received a call from concerned citizens about a woman with two children being physically assaulted by a group of men who continued to threaten her. We immediately proceeded to the scene.”
The woman turned out to be Okoye. During the rescue attempt, she revealed that Monday had violated her three-year-old child, alleging that the men assaulting her acted on Monday’s instructions and were trying to hush her.
Neye paused his interview with Okoye to verify her claims with a contact she mentioned while sharing her ordeal.
However, Neye said that the contact he reached dismissed Okoye’s concerns about her child being violated. Instead, the contact told him that the survivor had been taken to the Mirabel Centre, where her condition was diagnosed as a simple ‘infection.
Okoye further told Neye that after her assault, she lodged a complaint at Ejigbo Police Station and obtained a police report. Officers allegedly told her to treat herself and not return unless she could identify her attackers.
She then mentioned Monday and then explained that he was connected to the sexual violation of her three-year-old daughter.
Further investigation revealed that the defilement case had initially been handled at the Ejigbo Police Division before being transferred to the Gender Unit of the Ikeja, Lagos Police Command, where the perpetrator was released before the arrival of additional doctors’ reports.
Realising that Barrister Toyin Ndidi Taiwo-Ojo had been involved in the matter last year, Neye contacted her.
“I wanted her to continue assisting the mother and child,” he said. “She was hesitant due to the survivor’s mother’s erratic behaviour. I pleaded with her to remain involved for the child’s sake, and she agreed to assist.”
To honour her promise, Taiwo-Ojo placed Okoye on a ₦50,000 monthly stipend.
According to Neye, the Police initially claimed it could not prosecute Monday because the doctor’s report stated, “no penetration.”
Neye challenged the Mirabel Centre Medical Report, presenting photographs of the bleeding child, which shocked police officers who had believed there was no sexual abuse.
“The doctor at Idera sent the result to the Gender Unit, which requested a third opinion, leading to the survivor being taken to WARIF. At WARIF, another doctor confirmed extensive and severe damage, forwarding findings to the Police,” said Neye.
Despite strong medical evidence, Monday’s confession, and the survivor’s testimony, the case faced delays until the Officer in charge of the Gender Unit, Ikeja, ACP, Toyin Kazeem, had to step in, further investigating the case herself.
She then ordered that the case should be charged in court immediately.
On March 21, Neye accompanied the team to the court. The court appearance scheduled for Tuesday was adjourned to Thursday due to congestion.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator’s family attempted to interfere, offering to take the survivor to a “big hospital” to bypass legal processes.
On Thursday, however, the survivor’s mother refused to attend court.
Neye explained: “She had become uncooperative, hostile, influenced by financial offers from the perpetrator’s side. Despite NGOs’ efforts, support, and promise of medical care for the survivor, Ogechi seemed focused on settlement rather than justice.”
Neye expressed disappointment, recalling how Taiwo-Ojo had rented a new apartment for Okoye to prevent trauma and stigma and provided her with a stipend. Yet Okoye alleged that NGOs had collected money to truncate the case.
“Thanks to persistent efforts, the case was charged and entered into court. How can someone who rented a house for you and placed you on a monthly payment collect money from the perpetrator? The next adjournment date for the case is May 19,” Neye said.
He opined that the abuse of both children was largely due to Okoye’s negligence: “She relied on her sister while cohabiting with another man who was not her husband. This man lived in the same house with her two children. Even the three-year-old testified that Monday had violated her, sometimes showing pornographic content on a phone.
“The child now bleeds monthly, as if menstruating, for about a week at a time. At Igando General Hospital (Idera), she was even given sanitary pads. Yet at Mirabel, the doctor dismissed her condition as ‘infection.’ The mother admitted someone suggested handling the matter ‘in a family way,’ which may explain the inadequate medical response.”
Neye warned that Okoye herself could face legal action: “Legally, when a mother’s negligence contributes to a perpetrator’s actions, she can be charged alongside the perpetrator. Her negligence is a criminal offence.”
He added, “Children are innocent, and adults must protect them. Rape cases are devastating enough when they involve adults, but when children, who don’t even understand what sex means, are violated, it is beyond comprehension. If anyone accepts money to settle this case, it means they no longer have a heart or conscience. Settling this matter outside the law should never be tolerated.”
SP Abimbola Adebisi, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed: “The case was transferred to the Gender Unit from Ejigbo Division last year on behalf of the victim, a three-year-old girl, against Monday Iheukwumere, 47, of the same address.
“The complainant alleged she left her daughter at home and returned to discover she had been defiled by the alleged perpetrator, who was her lover and accommodated her and her two daughters in his one-room apartment.
“The survivor was taken for medical examination. The case was charged to Samuel Ilori Court, Ogba, on April 23, 2026. The mother refused to attend court or bring the survivor. The alleged perpetrator was remanded in Kirikiri Correctional Centre. The case was adjourned to May 19, 2026.”
The matter continues.
