A Lagos State government orphanage is under scrutiny after a 13-year-old girl became pregnant while in state custody, prompting her family to accuse authorities of grave failures in child protection and oversight.
Friday Akor said his daughter, Blessing, was taken into the care of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development following a dispute over her guardianship—only for the family to later discover that the Primary 3 pupil was several months pregnant.
Blessing was brought to Lagos in December 2024 to live with her aunt, Faith Amodu, and was enrolled at Dan Esther Nursery and Primary School in Aboru, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Lagos.
Her situation took a dramatic turn in June 2025, when she disappeared from her aunt’s home for four days. Neighbours later discovered that she had been taken away by a woman described as living nearby.
The case was reported to the Oke-Odo Police Station, where officers reportedly instructed the woman to produce the child. When she failed to do so, the police warned that she would be arrested.
Instead, the woman took Blessing to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development in Alausa, Ikeja, alleging that the child was being maltreated by her guardian.
When Amodu and a community leader went to the ministry to retrieve the girl, they were directed to the Alausa Police Division, where officers initially attempted to detain Amodu based on the allegations. She was later released after explaining that Blessing was enrolled in school and properly cared for.
Despite producing family photographs and presenting relatives from Benue State to establish guardianship, the ministry declined to release the girl. Blessing was subsequently transferred to a state-owned orphanage in Isolo, according to the family.
Several months later, the case took a disturbing turn.
In December 2025, Akor said he travelled from Benue to Lagos after learning that his daughter had still not been released. When he finally saw her, he discovered she was pregnant, about five months along.
“I was shocked when I saw my daughter,” Akor told reporters. “She was not pregnant when she was taken into government custody.”
He said officials at the ministry told him that an unnamed individual was responsible for the pregnancy but offered no detailed explanation.
“I feel bad and heartbroken,” Akor said. “I want to know exactly what happened to my daughter while she was under the care of the state.”
Blessing’s guardian, Amodu, confirmed the case in a brief phone conversation but declined to provide further details.
A community leader and chairman of the Ayedade Community Development Association, Pastor Obagbolabo Orefuyi, said the case exposed serious lapses in how the matter was handled.
“The girl was taken away under false claims of maltreatment,” Orefuyi said. “Even after the family proved their relationship and responsibility, she was not released but sent to a government orphanage.”
According to Orefuyi, the ministry later suggested that Blessing was “hyperactive” and moved between offices in custody, citing internal camera footage—an explanation he described as inadequate.
“The ministry had no tangible account of how a 13-year-old became pregnant while under government care,” he said.
Neighbours described Blessing as a well-behaved child whose future had been derailed by circumstances beyond her control.
“She is a good girl. She doesn’t deserve this,” one neighbour said. “While the woman who took her away shares blame, the state bears greater responsibility for what happened after.”
Repeated attempts to obtain an official response from the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development were unsuccessful. Gabriel Esiwele, head of the ministry’s Public Affairs Department, acknowledged an inquiry but did not respond further by press time.
