‘She believes that because this organisation is still operational, more children are likely being sexually violated while the suspect continues to operate freely’
By Juliana Francis
A major confrontation unfolded at the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja on Thursday, November 8, 2025, as a high-profile child defilement case involving a Lebanese took a disturbing turn.
Ms Lolade Ajayi, Executive Director of DOHS Cares Foundation, intervened to prevent the police from allegedly releasing a Lebanese national accused of sexually abusing multiple minors, a suspect known to the children as “Uncle Cobus.”
DOHS Cares Foundation, an organisation championing the rights of women, children, and vulnerable groups, has been closely following the case, which it fears may be connected to a larger child sex trafficking ring.
The child was also taken to a psychologist because of the trauma she suffered, where she consistently maintained her story until the most recent visit to the Ikeja Gender Unit.
Medical experts at Mirabel Centre, LASUTH, said that the child was repeatedly violated.
Security News Alert learned that the Lebanese individual, under the guise of philanthropy and sponsoring children’s education, had sexually abused more than eight children.
Disturbing Development at the Police Station
The latest Thursday incident occurred when the victim, a young girl, was brought to the station with her father and mother, who is estranged from the father and allegedly introduced the child to the suspect.
According to Ajayi, the child, who had previously maintained a consistent account of sexual violation and even led investigators to the suspect’s home, suddenly changed her story.
This shift happened after she was taken into a police office and questioned without the presence of her father, legal counsel, or any human rights advocate.
She came out of the police office, crying and recanted a story she had maintained since April that the defilement was discovered.
“This child had previously led investigators to the suspect’s house, described other victims, and undergone medical tests confirming sexual abuse,” Ajayi stated. “Suddenly, she denies it all. Something is wrong.”
Ajayi expressed concern that the child may have been coerced or intimidated into recanting her statement by the police or the mother.
This action of taking the child into an office and facing police personnel alone, directly violates the Child Rights Act (CRA) and international standards, which mandate that a parent, guardian, or child protection officer must be present during the questioning of a minor.
According to Ajayi, instead of detaining the alleged perpetrator, the police reportedly treated the suspect “with kid gloves” and were preparing to release him, citing the absence of the Commissioner of Police.
“I shouted, ‘No! This man must not be let go. He is a sexual abuser! Ajayi recounted, insisting that under Lagos State law, a suspect in a child defilement case must be detained immediately pending investigation and prosecution.
During the heated confrontation, the child’s mother allegedly assaulted Ajayi, causing a swollen mouth and a bleeding wrist.
Despite her injuries, Ajayi maintained her protest, forcing officers to take the suspect back into the office.
However, the situation escalated when a police officer was seen escorting the suspect out in a jeep bearing a Federal Government plate number.
Ajayi claims the police told her the suspect was being taken to the Commissioner of Police, but the Officer-in-Charge left abruptly.
She fears this is another attempt to secure his release, noting that the suspect has a history of allegedly leveraging connections, including the Department of State Services (DSS), to intimidate the victim’s family and derail the case.
Background: How the Story Started
The allegations against the foreign national first came to light in April, when the victim’s father became a whistle-blower after discovering his daughter had been repeatedly defiled, along with other minors.
According to the child’s account, her relative took her twice to “Uncle Cobus’s” residence.
She saw approximately nine other girls her age on the first visit. She alleges the suspect forced her to play with his genitals and later penetrated her.
When she confided in her mother, Bunmi, estranged from her father, Stephen, the mother allegedly urged her not to tell the father, defending the suspect as a philanthropist running an NGO who pays school fees for children.
The abuse was uncovered when the girl began exhibiting inappropriate behaviour at home. When questioned, she described the abuse and mentioned how other children were also taken to the suspect’s home to “play in the swimming room.”
Before the father could confront the suspect, he was summoned to the DSS office in Shangisha over a petition alleging defamation, despite the DSS invitation stating the meeting was to investigate the alleged molestation.
Ajayi strongly condemned the DSS’s involvement, accusing the agency of straying from its national security mandate to meddle in a serious criminal case.
“Why is DSS handling a defilement case? The defamation claim is spurious. This is a rape case, not a matter for mediation,” Ajayi said. “We fear this may be part of a larger child sex trafficking ring. Justice must not be derailed.”
Ajayi is calling on the media and the public to monitor the case closely, sharing photos and the suspect’s license plate number to ensure the case is not buried.
“This perpetrator must not go scot-free,” she declared. “Even if my blood is spilt, justice must be served!”
Ajayi said the most disturbing revelation is that both the DSS and the Gender Police Unit appear to be shielding the identity of the foreign suspect, refusing to disclose his full name to either the human rights activist or the victim’s father.
Ms Ajayi voiced two primary concerns regarding the ongoing case. Firstly, she worries about the trauma endured by the child victim.
Secondly, she fears that the case may be truncated by law enforcement agents. Ajayi alleges that these agents are not interested in securing justice for the child but are instead focused on protecting the alleged perpetrator and concealing his identity.
Ajayi also expressed alarm that the Lebanese suspect’s philanthropic organisation has not been shut down.
She believes that because this organisation is still operational, more children are likely being sexually violated while the suspect continues to operate freely, in clear violation of Lagos State laws concerning child protection.
The matter has been ongoing since April, and according to Ajayi, law enforcement agents are continually slowing the process of justice.
She notes that the Lebanese suspect has evaded arrest and detention since April. His modus operandi, according to Ajayi, is to use his lawyer to inform law enforcement that he is out of the country, all while he allegedly remains free in Nigeria.
Accusations of unprofessionalism against the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command are recurrent, but the police leadership has always maintained a pattern of silence.
The Officer in Charge of the Gender Unit at the Lagos State Police Command, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ms Toyin Kazeem, has refuted claims regarding the release of the suspect. Speaking to Security News Alert, Kazeem stated that the allegation was false.
She also denied reports suggesting that the child involved was coerced by the Police into retracting her statement about the alleged actions of the Lebanese suspect.
“These allegations are extremely far from the truth, please,” Kazeem said. “You are welcome to bring all parties to the Commissioner of Police’s interview to get a clearer picture.”
She, however, did not give a date or time for the parties to meet with the CP.
When Kazeem was asked the name of the alleged perpetrator, she responded thus: “You know I cannot divulge information about cases under investigation.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Kazeem declined to provide further details on the case, directing the reporter to obtain the official facts from the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Abimbola Adebisi.
When the reporter contacted SP Adebisi on November 9th, she confirmed that the Lebanese national had been arrested.
However, she stated she did not have the complete story regarding the defilement allegations. Adebisi explained that she would not have the full facts until the following Monday, when she would be in the office, and asked the reporter to meet her at her office on Tuesday at 1:00 PM.
On Monday, the reporter reached out to confirm the Tuesday appointment. SP Adebisi replied that she was unwell and would not be coming to the office.
Following this delay, the reporter informed Adebisi that she would proceed with publishing the first part of the story immediately and would incorporate Adebisi’s official facts regarding the defilement incident, representing the police side, in a subsequent Part Two publication.
