Lagos, Nigeria – The Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, a prominent rights group, has voiced its dismay regarding the treatment of a 15-year-old girl (identity withheld) who was reportedly defiled in the Sawmill area of Ifako-Gbagada, Lagos State.
The organization has also expressed its disappointment over the alleged refusal of the state Ministry of Youth and Social Development to accommodate the victim.
According to reports, the perpetrator, known as Fred, is accused of subjecting the victim to repeated sexual abuse over a two-year period, resulting in two alleged pregnancies. It is further alleged that he compelled the victim to undergo abortions on both occasions. Shockingly, these acts were purportedly carried out with the knowledge of the victim’s guardian, who sought the assistance of an auxiliary nurse to perform the abortions.
Following a report lodged by the rights group, the perpetrators were apprehended by the Ifako Police Station. However, the case manager at the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, Jennifer Nwosu, encountered significant challenges in securing a safe placement for the minor within the ministry’s shelter.
Nwosu disclosed that despite fulfilling all necessary documentation requirements, officials from the Ministry’s Child Protection Unit declined the request. “The minor’s shelter status was brought to the attention of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Child Protection Unit, on Friday, April 12, 2024, by our case manager while the case was being heard at the Samuel Ilori Court House, Ogba Magistrate Court. Our aim was to provide her with a safe haven, prevent coercion to change her statement, and shield her from further trauma,” she explained.
She further elaborated that the officials requested the charge sheet, police extract, and a letter from the organization detailing their involvement in the case as prerequisite documents to facilitate the minor’s placement in a shelter. However, despite submitting the requested documents to the office of the Permanent Secretary on Monday, April 15, 2024, Nwosu encountered resistance when the officials insisted on an extract from the Gender Unit, claiming it was necessary.
Nwosu made subsequent visits to the ministry, providing the police extract document, but it was rejected due to an alleged lack of specification from the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) regarding the minor’s placement in a safe shelter. The suggestion to contact the Gender Unit officials for verification purposes was reportedly dismissed.
Expressing concern over the matter, Nwosu urged Commissioner Bolaji Ogunlende of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, as well as the Permanent Secretary of the Child Protection Unit, to thoroughly investigate the issue. She emphasized that denying a minor who is a victim of a heinous crime the safety measures necessary for her well-being could compromise the case and hinder its proper handling.
In response, Commissioner Ogunlende clarified that the ministry did not reject the minor. In a statement released on Wednesday evening, he stated that the ministry had granted the child’s request to go home with her aunt. He explained, “On April 12, 2024, the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry received a call concerning the potential need for shelter placement for a survivor of sexual abuse. We were informed that the matter had been reported to the police, resulting in the arrest and detention of the perpetrators.”
Ogunlende added that during the meeting with the caller from the Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, the child expressed her desire to stay with her aunt while awaiting her mother’s arrival from the village. Despite the child’s preference, the representative from the rights group insisted on shelter placement, contrary to the minor’s wishes.
The commissioner affirmed the commitment of the Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, to collaborate with law enforcement agencies and social service providers in safeguarding the well-being of at-risk minors. He emphasized that the paramount objective of the Child’s Rights Law is to protect children, and the ministry, as the designated authority responsible for its implementation, will prioritize the child’s best interests. In this particular instance, given the child’s expressed desire to be with her family members, the need for shelter was deemed unnecessary.
