A 17-year-old girl from Enugu State, Kosi Goodluck, is recovering after she was allegedly subjected to months of severe physical abuse by a woman identified as Madam Patience Adiguwe in the Ayobo area of Alimosho, Lagos State.
The case has since been transferred to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command in Ikeja for further investigation.
According to the Esther Child Rights Foundation, the organisation that rescued the teenager, an anonymous woman from Abesan Estate reported the alleged abuse on September 2, 2026, after obtaining the NGO’s contact details from a flyer distributed during a community outreach programme in Ayobo the previous week.
“She told us she had video evidence of the child being beaten, and she sent it to us immediately,” said Esther Ekwem, Executive Director of the Esther Child Rights Foundation. “We could not wait. We went straight to the location.”
When the organisation’s representatives arrived at about 2:00 p.m., they found Kosi bleeding and in a weak and distressed condition.
Ekwem said the teenager told them she had been repeatedly beaten with a hammer, stick, spoon and chair leg, resulting in a deep wound to her head and severe swelling of her hands.
“Her hands were so swollen that she could not use them properly. There was a deep wound on her head. That was not discipline; it was torture,” Ekwem said.
According to the foundation, neighbours who had previously confronted the alleged abuser said she remained unmoved by their objections.
“The neighbours told us that when they tried to intervene, she boasted that nobody could report her to the police, that she would report them first, and asked if they had as much money as her brother abroad,” Ekwem said.
“That kind of impunity is exactly why children like Kosi suffer in silence for so long.”
The NGO also said it had obtained video testimony from neighbours alleging that Madam Patience had mistreated other children in the past, some of whom were reportedly said to have fled the home.
“We are not treating this as an isolated case,” Ekwem said. “We believe other children may have passed through that same house and suffered the same way.”
The foundation further alleged that, before its representatives arrived, Madam Patience had arranged transport to move Kosi away from the location.
“She was trying to relocate the child before help could reach her. That tells you everything about the urgency of the situation,” Ekwem said.
The organisation took both Kosi and Madam Patience to the Area ‘P’ Police Command, where the woman was taken into custody.
Kosi was subsequently rushed to Ayobo Primary Health Centre for treatment. She was later referred through the Mosan-Okunola Local Council Development Area, where Hon. Akindele Adunni Opeyemi arranged for a medical practitioner to clean and dress her wounds.
She was subsequently taken to Opeki Health Centre before being admitted to the emergency ward of Igando General Hospital.
Kosi was discharged on September 3, 2026, while the foundation awaits a comprehensive medical report.
Ekwem said Kosi’s ordeal allegedly began after she moved from Enugu to live with Madam Patience in July 2026. According to her, the arrangement was made after the woman requested “a young girl to stay with her” and Kosi’s aunt sent her photograph.
“Kosi’s mother had never even met this woman in person. They only spoke on the phone before Kosi was sent to live there,” Ekwem said.
According to the foundation, Kosi also alleged that she was frequently deprived of food and that a neighbour eventually began buying meals for her out of concern.
The food, the foundation alleged, was sometimes seized by Madam Patience and poured over the girl.
“A child was being starved and humiliated in a house in this city, and it took a stranger’s phone call for anyone to intervene,” Ekwem said.
On September 4, 2026, the Investigating Police Officer at the Area ‘P’ Police Command reportedly transferred the case to the Lagos State Police Command’s Gender Unit for further investigation.
“We have handed over the video of the assault, the neighbours’ statements, the medical records and Kosi’s own account,” Ekwem said. “Now we are calling on the authorities to investigate fully, protect this child and look into whether other children have suffered the same fate in that home.”
The foundation said it was awaiting further communication from the Gender Unit as the investigation progresses and could potentially lead to prosecution.
Ekwem said enquiries relating to the ongoing investigation could be directed to Officer Adeshewa of the Gender Desk at the Area ‘P’ Police Command. #Securitynewsalert.com
