Despite the clear provisions of the Lagos State Child Rights Act (CRA) on child trafficking, child labour, torture, and deprivation of education, no one has been arrested, and no one has been convicted for crimes committed against Kosarachi.
In this concluding part of an investigation that began in 2024, JULIANA FRANCIS examines the outcomes of child trafficking, labour, and abuse cases involving 10-year-old Kosarachi, revealing how the justice promised under the Lagos State Child Rights Law ultimately failed the child.
In 2024, 10-year-old Kosarachi was rescued from her abusive madam, Mrs Ifeoma Okoye. Before help came her way, the child had been repeatedly battered and tortured by Okoye, whose own children live overseas.
According to Kosarachi, her madam frequently used the heels of her shoes to strike her on the head and, on one occasion, punched her in the mouth with a ringed finger, leaving her with a chipped tooth.
The child further revealed that she was not enrolled in school and was instead forced to do laundry, wash dishes, and sweep the entire flat.
After inflicting multiple injuries on the child’s body, Okoye allegedly compelled Kosarachi to conceal the wounds on her head and body.
Subsequent investigations revealed that Kosarachi had been trafficked by the woman presented as her biological mother, acting on the instructions of the child’s maternal aunt (her mother’s elder sister).
These women are reportedly members of Christ Holy Church International, where Okoye also worships.
Kosarachi was trafficked from Imo State to Lagos State by these women, and all wages earned by the child were allegedly sent to them by Okoye.
There have since been arguments that the woman claiming to be the child’s mother may not, in fact, be her biological parent.
When the Lagos State Police moved to arrest Okoye, the bishop of Christ Holy Church International allegedly assisted her to flee Lagos State.
Ironically, the same church that reportedly aided her escape later gave the Lagos State Police over ₦200,000 to track the fleeing madam’s phone number and arrest her, an effort that yielded no results.
About a year later, when Okoye apparently believed the matter had been forgotten, she reportedly returned quietly to Lagos State. Despite this development, the Lagos State Police Command refused to effect her arrest.
The case took another dramatic turn when a couple came forward, claiming that Kosarachi was their long-missing daughter.
The Lagos State Police insisted that a DNA test be conducted within its own facility. The Police also rejected efforts by child protection groups, who had raised funds, to conduct a second DNA test at a neutral and independent laboratory.
Rather than focusing on Madam Okoye, who ought to have remained central to the investigation, the police became fixated on the paternity dispute.
The matter came to a head in late 2025 when the Lagos State Police and the Lagos State Government insisted that the child be kept in a government shelter pending the conclusion of investigations and court proceedings.
Ironically, the Lagos State Government secretly removed the child from custody and handed her over to Christ Holy Church International and, by extension, to her supposed biological parents.
After the Lagos State Government and the police were publicly called out, the child was hurriedly brought back from the East to Lagos, setting the stage for yet another orchestrated drama.
The DNA test was claimed to have been conducted, and for the second time, the court handed the child over to her supposed biological parents.
All parties involved in the case, including child protection groups, were warned by the court not to speak to the press while the matter was ongoing.
Despite the clear provisions of the Lagos State Child Rights Act (CRA) on child trafficking, child labour, torture, and deprivation of education, no one has been arrested, and no one has been convicted for crimes committed against Kosarachi.
The alleged traffickers who sold her childhood and collected her wages continue to walk freely. Her madam, who repeatedly battered her, still resides in Lagos State.
Members of Christ Holy Church International, who allegedly aided Okoye’s escape from justice, were never arrested or prosecuted.
Some of the events that unfolded in court during the determination of the child’s paternity were shared with this reporter by Abiodun Kolawole, Esq., a human rights lawyer from the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA), who closely monitored the case.
She said: “The case was re-listed at Magistrate Court 2, Ogba, Ikeja Magisterial District, before His Honour, M.O. Tanimola, on June 11, 2025, after the child was erroneously given out.
“This followed a petition received by the Welfare Unit, Ikotun, and a publication aimed at setting the record straight to ensure that justice was done.
“All parties concerned, along with their respective counsel, were present in court. The court ordered that a DNA test be conducted, with samples to be taken from the alleged parents laying claim to the child.
“The child had earlier been reported at the Festac Police Station for assault occasioning injury to the head, and the perpetrator remains at large to date.
“The child was taken from one of the alleged parents and placed in a shelter, and the case was adjourned to August 13, 2025, for mention.
“On August 13, 2025, all parties were again present with their respective counsel. The court ordered that the DNA test be carried out on the alleged parents present in court.
“The court further directed that if the result turned out negative, the social welfare authorities should immediately invite the second alleged parents for the same test, to remove doubts and ascertain the rightful parents of the child.
“The Social Welfare Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD), Ikotun, subsequently communicated the date for the DNA test. All parties concerned, including their respective counsel, the alleged parents, and the child, were present on August 18, 2025, at the Lagos State Forensic Laboratory, Lagos Island, where samples were taken from Parent A and the child.
“On October 29, 2025, all parties and their counsel were present in court when the Court Legal Registrar opened a sealed envelope containing the DNA result while the court was sitting in chambers.
“The result showed a 99.99 per cent match between Parent A and the child. The social worker applied for the child to be released to the biological parents, and the matter was adjourned to November 19, 2025.
“On November 19, 2025, all parties were present with their respective counsel. The child was produced from the shelter and officially released to the biological parent.”
Kolawole added that some Lagos State Government officials and Lagos State Police officers expressed displeasure over media reports but were assured that the journalist remained unbiased and that all stakeholders were working toward a common goal.
“Your report was not targeted at pulling anyone down. However, it was perceived that some form of damage control was inevitable. I duly informed them that our concerns were based on intelligence information. We are neither witches nor wizards. We are not competing with anyone. The field is wide, but the labourers are few. Through collective efforts, we can achieve much by putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged in society. We worked as a team to achieve a purpose-driven outcome.”
Addressing what was described as a “big lie” allegedly told against Rev. Sister Justina Nelson of the Congregation of the Religious Sisters of Charity (RSC) in Nigeria, Kolawole called for damage control.
It is instructive to note that Sister Nelson was the first child protection advocate to fight for justice for Kosarachi; however, the police claimed they were unable to arrest Okoye after Nelson traced her to the Christ Holy Church International, FESTAC, where she was hiding.
Rev. Sister Nelson was described as someone who has been impactful, touched lives, and rescued children in line with objectives recognised by law.
Kolawole dismissed claims that she had convened a press conference, stating that no such events ever occurred.
“I do not know where the Gender Unit and the church of the alleged perpetrator got that insinuation. I personally addressed this issue on October 29, 2025, in open court, with all parties present throughout the proceedings. We are not enemies of society; rather, we are working in compliance with objectives registered and recognised by the relevant laws of the land.”
