We nearly had another Ochanya episode in our hands – Joy Ezilo

• Condemns rising spate of sexual violence against minors

The Dean faculty of Law, University of Nigera Nsukka and Founding Director, Women Aid Collective (WACOL), Professor Joy Ezeilo has condemned the rising impunity of Sexual Violence, particularly against minors while calling for stiff penalty and other preventive measures to stem the ugly tide.

She also disclosed that the nation narrowly missed what would have been another Ochanya Ogbanje incident.

Already, WACOL has commenced intervention on a defilement case involving the 12-year-old girl (name withheld) which nauseous incident happened at Egede, in Udi LGA of Enugu state.

On account of its wide reportage on social media as well as inundating calls from concerned citizens requesting the organisation to take action, the organisation has swung into action calling on relevant agencies of the govenment to do the needful.

A statement signed by WACOL’s Communication Officer, Egodi Igwe, reads:

“It could be recalled that on the 9th of March 2020, a 12 year old girl in primary 3 was brought to hospital by a school proprietor, accompanied by an officer from Egede police division, a nursing mother who claimed to be the little girl’s sister from Ntezi in Abakaliki, as well as a 46yr old man who feigned knowledge of the rapist. The victim was bleeding from the vagina at the time.

“Information available revealed that this little girl from Abakaliki was brought as helper to live with a grandmother in Egede community.

“Unfortunately, one of the sons of this old lady Mr. Ifeanyi Ukwuani, who is married with two children, visited the village to specifically defile and sexually violate this little girl. He also threatened to kill her if she speaks out.

“She was brought to the hospital by the wife and a brother of the rapist, but they lied about their identity, with the rapist wife claiming to be the girl’s sister.

“The nursing mother told the doctors to hasten the treatment to enable her take her sister home. Unfortunately, for them, truth emerged when victim opened up and refuted her story, denying any relationship with the woman.

“According to her, contrary to the woman’s assertion, the woman’s husband was the one who sexually abused her, at his Egede home and threatened her to either remain silence or face a dire consequence.

“While they were at the hospital, the matter was reported to the Police. When Police arrived at the hospital, the nursing mother and wife to the perpetrator, left with her cohorts, while Police took his senior brother for interrogation. He was later released.

“As an organization saddled with a responsibility of defending the rights of women and children by fighting violence against women, we are taking holistic action to ensure first that victim gets immediate medical and material assistance; and secondly that justice is done and perpetrator held to account for this heinous crime and ultimate betrayal of a girl entrusted in their care. WACOL will not relent to ensure that the perpetrator faces the full wrath of the law.

“Furthermore, we have contacted the National Agency for trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP)to investigate the aspect of trafficking in the case.

“At the moment, we are primarily focusing on the wellbeing of the young girl, supporting treatment and counselling to aid her recovery from the pain and trauma inflicted on her as a result of this sad incident.

Igwe further disclosed that: “She is still receiving a comprehensive treatment at an undisclosed hospital (for privacy and her safety) in Enugu and we are taking full responsibility for the treatment and other welfare support. We have a good understanding with the hospital management regarding this, so we are pleased to say that, she is responding well to treatment, although she is still visibly traumatised.”

“Our team is also following up with the 9thMile police division and have already sent a petition to the state CID to investigate the matter accordingly and to bring the alleged suspect/perpetrator Mr Ifeanyi Uwkuani (still at large) is apprehended immediately.

“In addition, we are making frantic arrangement to locate the victims’ relatives and reunite them with their daughter as soon as possible. We have plan to extend a welfare support to the victim’s mother who we learnt is a widow with 10 children to carter for. We will find out the nature of support the family would need, when we meet with her soonest.

“It is part of our mandate to fight violence against women and girls and stem the impunity of sexual and gender-based violence. We remain resolute in accomplishing that working together with likeminded organizations.”

Moreso, Professor Ezeilo hacondemns the rising impunity of Sexual Violence, especially against minors as she calls for stiff penalty and other preventive measures to stem the ugly tide.

WACOL was established in 1997 as an independent, non-political, non-governmental and non-profit organization; registered in 2000 as a company limited by guarantee i.e. as a charitable organization (RC: 388132) with the Corporate Affairs of Commission (CAC), Nigeria. WACOL’s vision is a democratic society free from violence and abuse, where human rights of all in particular women and young people are recognized in law and practice. Its mission is to assist in the education, social, economic and political development of women and young people through a wide range of services: training, research, advocacy, shelter, free legal and financial aid, intra-familial/community conflict resolution, and information and library services. The organization works throughout Nigeria and beyond. It has an observer status with the African union, African commission on human rights since 2001 and it also has an NGO Special Consultative status with the United Nations approved in 2010 by ECOSOC.
Within 23 years of existence, WACOL have assisted over 50,000 victims of gender-based violence, including women, children and sometimes men, with free legal and financial aid. Similarly, over 6000 family relationships were saved from disintegration through our timely interventions and mediation to reconcile the parties.

WACOL in 2014 established the Tamar Sexual Assault Referral centre (TAMAR SARC), as a registered subsidiary of WACOL. This gender justice responsive Centre was set up to provide rapid, holistic and high quality free medical, counselling and other support services to victims and survivors of sexual assault in Enugu State and beyond.

WACOL also provides temporal shelter (safe house) services to women and children in especially difficult situation at the peak of crises.

Last February, men of the Nigeria Police, Enugu Command allegedly attacked WACOL’s office at Enugu. The incident which was related to an investigation of a rape case, left a female lawyer in coma.

She was said to have been rushed to the intensive care unit of the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu.