Juliana Francis
A lady, identified simply as Ms Rebecca, who was assaulted by her live-in lover in the Sango-Ota area of Ogun State, leading to her losing her three-month-old pregnancy, has run to Esther Child’s Rights Foundation, demanding her lover should take care of the medical expenses.
According to Rebecca, she and Olamilekan used to be childhood friends before the relationship blossomed into a love affair.
The love relationship lasted four years before the serpent crept into their Garden of Eden and everything turned dark.
They had become so close that both families knew each other’s family members. Rebecca felt she was having the best relationship and then made the move to get pregnant when Olamilekan said he would not make an honest woman of her if she did not get pregnant and have a baby
She explained that three months into the pregnancy, her lover suddenly changed and became hostile. She also revealed that Olamilekan used to beat her, but she had taken it as part of relationship squabbles.
However, after the last beating that caused her to lose her baby, she knew it was time to end it.
She recalled that following the pregnancy, she had planned to go to the hospital to register for ante-natal, but Olamilken repeatedly complained of not having money.
She decided to ask for payment of some loans he took from her so that she could register for the ante-natal
She knew Olamilekan had received his salary, but denied it, refusing to give her money for the ante-natal. When she asked for him to pay her money owed her, it became a shouting match, which degenerated into the latter pouncing on her.
She narrated: “ It was not a small beating on that day. Just because I was asking for my money so that I could go and register for ante-natal. People came to rescue me from the beating that day. After the beating, I started clots of blood.
“A nurse was called, but she refused to attend to me, she insisted that I should first go for a scan. After much ado, I went for a scan and I was told that I had lost the pregnancy, but that I needed medical attention to clear the residue. I showed him the scan and many people advised him to take me to hospital because of the residue, but Olamilelan refused, saying that he didn’t have money.
“While the blood continued, I started feeling weak and experiencing abdominal pains. After that beating, he asked me to move out of his house. He told me that the pregnancy was not his. He said anything that I wanted to do, I should go ahead and do it.”
Rebecca said that at a point she thought she was going to die as she continued to bleed, felt weaker and continued to bleed. She repeatedly cried, asking people to tell her mom to come and see her because she feared she would die.
Sympathisers advised Rebecca to go and lodge a formal complaint at Sango-Ota Police Station.
Olamilekan was invited and promised to go to the hospital but reneged.
He would later tell her that he could not afford a hospital. He took her to a nurse, who asked for N30,000 and Olamilekan left the place, stressing that N30,000 was too much.
Rebecca alleged that her lover’s behaviour was supported by his sisters, The couple went to the police station a second time, and as usual, Olamilekan promised, but did not live up to his promises after leaving the police station.
Rebecca said: “I went to Lagos State to tell my family the situation because I didn’t want to die. I was advised to go to a human rights group. The human rights people called Olamilekan, but he insulted them and was rude.”
The Executive Director of Esther Child’s Rights Foundation, Ms Esther Ekwe, said that following Olamilekan’s rude response, she had to write to the company he worked with to prevail on him to pay for the medical attention of Rebecca.
It was also gathered that Olamilekan’s relatives had stormed the human rights office, claiming Olamilekan was being intimidated.
Ekwe suggested family members should contribute money to help Olamilekan with the medical bill, but they all refused.
On the 12th of April, Ekwe left Lagos State and made a beeline for Sango-Ota, where she caused the Police Human Rights Desk to arrest Olamilekan.
The Police have completed plans to charge him in court.
Olamilekan did not pick up several calls. He also did not return calls. Rebecca said it would be difficult to get him because he set his phone so that only those on his contact list could call and get him.
