Operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team have arrested a native doctor, Segun Olaniyi, for allegedly killing his former girlfriend, Abosede Iyanda, and selling out her body parts to his customers.
Twelve other accomplices arrested with Olaniyi are: Ayodimeji Adeleye, 25; Babalola Akanbi, 48; Adeifa Sogbeyinde 37, Rasaq Rasaq, 27; Sunday Akinyemi, 41; Adewole Oluwafemi, 38.
Others are Mustapha Ajibola, 31; Mustapha Iliya, 30; Shilola Amodu, 38; Jamiu Abass, 25; Smooth Kazeem, 37 and 56-year-old Adesola Oduyemi. Eight other suspects were said to be at large.
It was learnt that the victim’s father had reported to the police that 30-year-old Iyanda went missing on October 15, 2019 while returning from work in Ogun State.
The father was said to have petitioned the office of the Inspector-General of Police on November 3 and the case was assigned to the IRT in the state for investigation.
A source told City Round that the operatives tracked down Olaniyi and he gave information that led to the arrest of other suspects in various locations in the state.
Our correspondent learnt that the victim had visited Olaniyi in his office close to a stream and while she was there, he invited Akanbi and Adeleye on the phone to his office.
He reportedly sent Adeleye to buy food for the woman and secretly put a sedative which made her to fall asleep after eating the food.
The source said, “After she woke up much later in the day, Olaniyi told her to follow Akanbi and Adeleye to the stream to wash her hair on the pretext of helping her spiritually.
“While she was washing her hair, Adeleye pushed her head inside the water, brought out a pocket knife and killed her. Both of them carried her body from the water to the ground. They cut her body into pieces as directed by Olaniyi.”
The source explained that the killers sold the body parts to their clients, including Islamic clerics and a pastor who wanted to do money rituals.
“The IRT operatives recovered a decomposed human breast, burnt human flesh mixed with liquid substance in a bottle and calabash, one complete human foot, pieces of dry human skulls, one Laura Jeep with the number plate, KTU 801 FP, one Bajaj Boxer motorcycle marked, JGB 019 VC, one unregistered Toyota Corolla and one Toyota Matrix with the number plate AKD 703 FU were recovered from the suspects,” the source added.
Olaniyi, 42, who hails from Osun State, said a colleague had advised him to go into ritual killings if he wanted to get rich quickly.
He said when he was already into the act when Iyanda visited him for financial assistance to boost her business.
The father of four children stated that he decided to take advantage of her visit, adding that he realised about N90,000 from selling her body parts.
He said, “I am married to two wives and have four children. She called me on the phone that she was coming to see me. I asked her the reason for her visit and she said she needed financial assistance to boost her business.
“I called Akanbi and we killed her beside my house. I carried the head, two hands and part of the flesh. I sold the head for N40,000 to one man called Africa. I sold one hand to an orthodox doctor known as Muyideen for N15,000 and the other hand to one Tonight for N15,000. I sold the flesh for N10,000 to one Alfa called Sunday Akinyemi while Rasaq and Mustafa paid N5,000 each.
In his confession, Oluwafemi, a self-proclaimed pastor, said he bought the body part for N5,000 to perform miracles.
“The alfas I know said they also bought the flesh N5,000 and used it to prepare concoctions for their customers,” he added.
The victim’s husband, Wahude, was said to have told the police that his wife, who is survived by four children between aged between 12 and three, had told him she wanted to visit her mother on the day she went missing.
Saturday, 14 December 2019
Wednesday, 30 October 2019
Wicked act of 2 DPOs to girl burnt with hot iron by nursing mother
Monsurat, a primary 2 pupil, now has burns covering her belly and lap, and was going to live with that for the rest of her life had a rights group and the state’s Office of Public Defender not intervened.
Her guardian, Hafia living on Ola Akinpelu Street, Alimosho, had quickly transferred the girl back to Oyo where she got her after two separate DPOs to whom the matter was initially reported dismissed it as an accident.
That was what Hafia, a nursing mother herself, actually told them.
It was a Good Samaritan in the neighbourhood that first alerted the human rights group, Esther Child Rights Foundation, which reported the case at the Mosalasi Police Station.
According to Chinyere Tony, who rescued Monsurat, the girl told her that she used the N500 to buy a book in the school.
“We found out that the woman used a razor blade on her as a punishment for using her N500 to buy a book. The girl said she was the only who had not bought the book in her class,” said Tony.
“The woman also used a hot iron to burn her abdomen and lap. But she claimed she was ironing clothes when the girl fell on the iron.”
The police initially arrested the woman, but later released her on the orders of the Divisional Police Officer and the girl handed over to her.
Disappointed, the foundation took the case to the neighbouring Isokoko Police Station.
The DPO there also failed to effect Hafia’s arrest.
The co-ordinator of the foundation, Mrs Esther Ogwu, said a petition was written to the Office of the Public Defender, Lagos State Ministry of Justice and National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
“The victim was then brought in for her statement alongside the suspect for questioning. The victim, out of fear, said she fell on an iron, which I’d like to believe is not possible. The DPO discharged the case and told us that the evidence is not concrete enough to prosecute the culprit. We took action and wrote a petition to the Office of the Public Defender and NAPTIP.”
The case was further reported at the Anti-Human Trafficking unit, Federal Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Alagbon, and Hafia was arrested.
The head of the unit, ACP Mary Ajunwa, said investigation had commenced on the case and the woman rearrested.
“They took the child to her village in Oyo State; they didn’t want the authorities to see the degree of the injury. My office ordered that the child must be brought back to Lagos and that has been done,” she said.
“We are trying to get exactly what happened. The suspect has been rearrested and she is in custody. We have seen the degree of the injury and we want to ascertain why it is so. The woman is claiming that she fell on the iron. But mere looking at the injury, we don’t think it is a case of the girl falling on the iron. We believe there is more to it which the woman has not been able to tell us.”
The OPD Director, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Olayinka Adeyemi, said the agency took up the matter immediately it received a petition from the human rights organisation, but was disappointed over how the police divisions handled the case.
“The girl has deep cuts and the burns are in two places. It is sad. We found out that the two police divisions where the case was initially reported compromised. They said the injury was an accident and they even released the child to the suspect,” she said.
Adeyemi explained that the state government would continue to monitor the matter to ensure that justice prevailed, adding that Monsurat would be taken into protective custody.
The ministry will soon take custody of the girl while investigation continues.
Tuesday, 15 October 2019
Late kidnapper’s wife, siblings arraigned over N798m crime proceeds
The police have charged the wife of late billionaire kidnapper, Collins Ezenwa, aka E-money, and four of his brothers with money laundering charges at the Federal High Court in Owerri, Imo State .
Eleven counts were preferred against the defendants – Gift Ezenwa Emmanuel Okoronkwo, Uche Okoronkwo, Ikechukwu Onyekere and Franklin Anugba – by the Inspector-General of Police in charge number FHC/OW/05C/2019.
The defendants were accused of conspiring to commit money laundering and unlawfully acquiring properties worth N798.6m said to be proceeds of the late kidnapper’s escapades.
The offences, according to the police are punishable under Section 17 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2012.
The charges read in part, “That you Gift Onyinyechi Ezenwa, trading under the name of Wzim Lodge Bureau De Change and others at large between 2013 and 2017, in Enugu and Imo states, within the Jurisdiction of this honourable court, knowing that one Collins Okoronkwo Ezenwa, now deceased, acquired several sum of money both in naira and dollars through illegal activities to wit: Kidnapping and armed robbery, did knowingly receive and use same to acquire the following properties: De Inglish Hotel, located at Independent Layout Enugu, valued at N220m; a five bedroom duplex also at Independent Layout Enugu, valued at N65m, eight blocks of flat located on Ogui Road in Enugu State, valued at N50m, six bungalows, located at Amakohe Owerri, Imo State valued at N40m. A twin two-storey building located at Uratah, Orji, Imo State, valued at N100m and several others including cars totalling the sum of N798, 6m.”
The charge stated that Gift collected N100m being proceeds of kidnapping, via her bank account while Emmanuel and others at large reportedly received $200,000 on Ezenwa’s behalf and used same to illegally acquire a house at No 23, Hein Crescent, Speedbat, Amakohe, Owerri, Imo state.
Ezenwa, a dismissed police corporal, was killed in January 2018 during a gun duel with policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Imo State Police Command when he attempted to kidnap a Nigerian businessman based in South Africa, in Owerri.
More than 13 buildings including a hotel, belonging to the late kidnapper were reportedly traced by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team to Abia, Imo and Enugu states, while seven cars, two SUVs, one Hilux truck, a commercial bus, two tipper-lorries and a trailer belonging to him were also recovered from several locations within the South-East.
Justice T.G Ringim of the Federal High Court, Owerri, penultimate Friday, granted an interim forfeiture order to Nigeria Police Force until the end of investigation or prosecution of the matter.
Justice Ringim also ruled that anyone who has interest in any of the properties should appear before the court and “show course why the property should not be forfeited permanently to the Federal Government.”
The defendants were accused of conspiring to commit money laundering and unlawfully acquiring properties worth N798.6m said to be proceeds of the late kidnapper’s escapades.
The offences, according to the police are punishable under Section 17 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2012.
The charges read in part, “That you Gift Onyinyechi Ezenwa, trading under the name of Wzim Lodge Bureau De Change and others at large between 2013 and 2017, in Enugu and Imo states, within the Jurisdiction of this honourable court, knowing that one Collins Okoronkwo Ezenwa, now deceased, acquired several sum of money both in naira and dollars through illegal activities to wit: Kidnapping and armed robbery, did knowingly receive and use same to acquire the following properties: De Inglish Hotel, located at Independent Layout Enugu, valued at N220m; a five bedroom duplex also at Independent Layout Enugu, valued at N65m, eight blocks of flat located on Ogui Road in Enugu State, valued at N50m, six bungalows, located at Amakohe Owerri, Imo State valued at N40m. A twin two-storey building located at Uratah, Orji, Imo State, valued at N100m and several others including cars totalling the sum of N798, 6m.”
The charge stated that Gift collected N100m being proceeds of kidnapping, via her bank account while Emmanuel and others at large reportedly received $200,000 on Ezenwa’s behalf and used same to illegally acquire a house at No 23, Hein Crescent, Speedbat, Amakohe, Owerri, Imo state.
Ezenwa, a dismissed police corporal, was killed in January 2018 during a gun duel with policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Imo State Police Command when he attempted to kidnap a Nigerian businessman based in South Africa, in Owerri.
More than 13 buildings including a hotel, belonging to the late kidnapper were reportedly traced by operatives of the Inspector-General of Police Intelligence Response Team to Abia, Imo and Enugu states, while seven cars, two SUVs, one Hilux truck, a commercial bus, two tipper-lorries and a trailer belonging to him were also recovered from several locations within the South-East.
Justice T.G Ringim of the Federal High Court, Owerri, penultimate Friday, granted an interim forfeiture order to Nigeria Police Force until the end of investigation or prosecution of the matter.
Justice Ringim also ruled that anyone who has interest in any of the properties should appear before the court and “show course why the property should not be forfeited permanently to the Federal Government.”
Man, 72, remanded for ‘impregnating’ daughter
A CHIEF Magistrates’ Court in Gombe on Monday remanded 72-year-old Ibrahim Yunusa in prison custody for allegedly raping and impregnating his daughter.
Yunusa of Dadinkowa, Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of the state pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Chief Magistrate, Daura Sikkam ordered the remand of the accused person and adjourned the case to November 13 for further mention to enable police complete investigation.
Earlier, reading the police First Information Report (FIR) Dalaky Wanma, the court clerk, said the accused committed the offences several times between December 2018 and January 2019.
He said Yunusa forcefully had carnal knowledge of his 17-year-old biological daughter and impregnated her in his house.
The clerk said the offence is contrary to Sections 390 and 282 of the penal code.
Police prosecutor, Sgt. Bako Shekari also told the court that police had just commenced investigations into the matter.
He asked the court for adjournment to enable the police complete investigations and seek legal advice from the Ministry of Justice.
The Chief Magistrate, Daura Sikkam ordered the remand of the accused person and adjourned the case to November 13 for further mention to enable police complete investigation.
Earlier, reading the police First Information Report (FIR) Dalaky Wanma, the court clerk, said the accused committed the offences several times between December 2018 and January 2019.
He said Yunusa forcefully had carnal knowledge of his 17-year-old biological daughter and impregnated her in his house.
The clerk said the offence is contrary to Sections 390 and 282 of the penal code.
Police prosecutor, Sgt. Bako Shekari also told the court that police had just commenced investigations into the matter.
He asked the court for adjournment to enable the police complete investigations and seek legal advice from the Ministry of Justice.
Okowa advises political office holders on service delivery
Governor of Delta, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa, said rendering of selfless service was paramount to every political office holder.
Okowa stated thus at a thanksgiving service of Chief Arthur Akpowowo, Commissioner for Urban Renewal in the state at First Baptist Church, Eku, on Sunday.
According to him, the essence of holding political office is to use it to serve the people.
The governor congratulated Akpowowo for knowing that his appointment as a Commissioner was not by human, but by God.
“I thank God that Akpowowo realised that his appointment came from God and has come to give Him thanks.
“Power comes from God, not man; I do not take any glory for any appointment we have made, all that matters is for the holder of the position to use it to render service to the people.
“When you render service to the people, you have rendered service to God, because what matters is your relationship with the Lord your God,” he said.
He stated that political appointees would be free to assist others, render selfless service to humanity if guided by the principles of God "by loving others as they love themselves".
In a sermon, Rev. Akpotor Eboh, said that Christians must always have reasons to thank God.
He said “whatever you have is as a result of providence; whatever position that you are occupying, it is not because you have worked so much for it, it is as a result of divine favour, so, give Him thanks."
The cleric said that all had sinned and urged that people should always seek for forgiveness and avoid condemning others, because Jesus shed His blood for sinners.
“God is saying that we should avoid committing sin and if we believe in God, He will heal us,” he stressed.
The thanksgiving service was attended by political office holders and leaders, community leaders and traditional rulers.
According to him, the essence of holding political office is to use it to serve the people.
The governor congratulated Akpowowo for knowing that his appointment as a Commissioner was not by human, but by God.
“I thank God that Akpowowo realised that his appointment came from God and has come to give Him thanks.
“Power comes from God, not man; I do not take any glory for any appointment we have made, all that matters is for the holder of the position to use it to render service to the people.
“When you render service to the people, you have rendered service to God, because what matters is your relationship with the Lord your God,” he said.
He stated that political appointees would be free to assist others, render selfless service to humanity if guided by the principles of God "by loving others as they love themselves".
In a sermon, Rev. Akpotor Eboh, said that Christians must always have reasons to thank God.
He said “whatever you have is as a result of providence; whatever position that you are occupying, it is not because you have worked so much for it, it is as a result of divine favour, so, give Him thanks."
The cleric said that all had sinned and urged that people should always seek for forgiveness and avoid condemning others, because Jesus shed His blood for sinners.
“God is saying that we should avoid committing sin and if we believe in God, He will heal us,” he stressed.
The thanksgiving service was attended by political office holders and leaders, community leaders and traditional rulers.
I no longer get movie roles after doing plastic surgery – Actress Nana Frema
Ghanaian actress and singer Nana Frema, who went under the knife after being body-shamed on social media has cried out over not getting movie roles.
Nana Frema said she went through the liposuction surgery to become comfortable in her body and to grow her career but that seem not to be forthcoming.
“You know when I went to work on my body, it was because of the name calling, which at a point got me depressed and I thought going for surgery would work. It did because I’m now comfortable with who I am, I can wear what I want and all that but with my career especially, it has not helped, I am not satisfied.
“I feel it is because I came out to say that indeed I had worked on my body. The movie roles are not coming, the singing gigs are not coming and I sometimes feel I shouldn’t have come out, I think it has really worked against me.
“I thought things would be ok for me but I guess I was wrong, I am not fully satisfied. I needed that self confidence to show the world what I am made of in terms of talent because before then, I was told, if I were slim, or did not have a big stomach, it would have been easy but it is all false,” she told Graphic Showbiz in a recent interview.
She further revealed that her love life has also been affected by the plastic surgery as her boyfriend is ashamed to take her out, because his friends keep taunting him with her body being fake.
“I don’t blame them though because Ghana is not yet there. We have not gotten to that point where we will accept things like this.
“Interestingly, men like ladies with big butts, some even pay for their girlfriends to go and do it, even pastors pay for their wives but I guess they do not like that when it’s in the public like mine,” she said.
When asked if she had any regrets going under the knife, she said no, “I wouldn’t say I regret it because it increased my self esteem and gave me the confidence that I wanted but it is just the other side that I lack.”
“You know when I went to work on my body, it was because of the name calling, which at a point got me depressed and I thought going for surgery would work. It did because I’m now comfortable with who I am, I can wear what I want and all that but with my career especially, it has not helped, I am not satisfied.
“I feel it is because I came out to say that indeed I had worked on my body. The movie roles are not coming, the singing gigs are not coming and I sometimes feel I shouldn’t have come out, I think it has really worked against me.
“I thought things would be ok for me but I guess I was wrong, I am not fully satisfied. I needed that self confidence to show the world what I am made of in terms of talent because before then, I was told, if I were slim, or did not have a big stomach, it would have been easy but it is all false,” she told Graphic Showbiz in a recent interview.
She further revealed that her love life has also been affected by the plastic surgery as her boyfriend is ashamed to take her out, because his friends keep taunting him with her body being fake.
“I don’t blame them though because Ghana is not yet there. We have not gotten to that point where we will accept things like this.
“Interestingly, men like ladies with big butts, some even pay for their girlfriends to go and do it, even pastors pay for their wives but I guess they do not like that when it’s in the public like mine,” she said.
When asked if she had any regrets going under the knife, she said no, “I wouldn’t say I regret it because it increased my self esteem and gave me the confidence that I wanted but it is just the other side that I lack.”
Monday, 14 October 2019
Nigerian couple in the UK sentenced for selling toxic skin-whitening products online
A Nigerian couple in the UK has been sentenced for selling illegal skin-whitening products online.
Jonathan and Holiness Ikpere have avoided jail after admitting selling the toxic products. They are thought to have earned hundreds of thousands of pounds from selling banned bleaching concoctions from their home in Towpath Mead, Southsea. They imported large quantities of cosmetics from countries in West Africa before selling them in the UK and other countries abroad.
They were caught in the UK's first national investigation into the online sale of dangerous skin-whitening products.
Jonathan Ikpere, a PHD student studying at Portsmouth University, set up various PayPal accounts to collect orders for eBay purchases, which had a turnover of more than £100,000.
According to Yahoo!, Southwark Trading Standards, who led the investigation, seized nearly 3,000 illegal and dangerous skin lightening products from their home. Customers who bought the products risked permanent skin and blood vessel damage and even infection.
Paul Gander, team leader of Southwark Trading Standards, said: "The Ikperes imported a large volume of cosmetics from Nigeria and made a small volume themselves on their premises. A lot of this stuff comes into this country from West Africa, Pakistan and even China.
"When officers raided their home they discovered a mixing bowl in the kitchen, where the couple's own brand of skin lighteners were being created. Holiness Ikpere even marketed the products with her own face on the labels.
"The dangerous element of what they were doing were unbelievable. Holiness had no safety or quality control of what she was manufacturing. Cosmetics need to have preservatives in them.
"There needs to be safety assessments carried out which they did not do. She was putting illegal ingredients in the products but not informing customers."
The couple pleaded guilty to manufacturing toxic bleaching cosmetics and were fined £17,000, as well as given 60-hour community service orders each. Both received suspended sentences, six months for Jonathan and four months for Holiness, suspended for a year.
They were caught in the UK's first national investigation into the online sale of dangerous skin-whitening products.
Jonathan Ikpere, a PHD student studying at Portsmouth University, set up various PayPal accounts to collect orders for eBay purchases, which had a turnover of more than £100,000.
According to Yahoo!, Southwark Trading Standards, who led the investigation, seized nearly 3,000 illegal and dangerous skin lightening products from their home. Customers who bought the products risked permanent skin and blood vessel damage and even infection.
Paul Gander, team leader of Southwark Trading Standards, said: "The Ikperes imported a large volume of cosmetics from Nigeria and made a small volume themselves on their premises. A lot of this stuff comes into this country from West Africa, Pakistan and even China.
"The dangerous element of what they were doing were unbelievable. Holiness had no safety or quality control of what she was manufacturing. Cosmetics need to have preservatives in them.
"There needs to be safety assessments carried out which they did not do. She was putting illegal ingredients in the products but not informing customers."
The couple pleaded guilty to manufacturing toxic bleaching cosmetics and were fined £17,000, as well as given 60-hour community service orders each. Both received suspended sentences, six months for Jonathan and four months for Holiness, suspended for a year.
Principal allegedly defiles teenage twin sisters, impregnates one
A doctor at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, Alabi Oyedeji, yesterday, told an Ikeja Special Offences Court, that twin sisters (names withheld), aged 17, were allegedly defiled by their school principal, Samson Adeyemo over a period of two years.
The defendant, who was the principal of the school located in Beckley Estate, Abule Egba, allegedly had sexual intercourse with the sisters between 2015 and 2016, when they were in SS1. Adeyemo, 30, is standing trial before Justice Sherifat Solebo. He was alleged to have lured the twins to his office on separate occasions, had sexual intercourse with them until one of them got pregnant.
Dr. Oyedeji, a consultant at Mirabel Centre, LASUTH, told the court that the twin sisters confirmed to him that their principal had sexual relationship with them from 2015 to 2016. According to him, the principal, in the course of having incessant intercourse, impregnated one of the twins.
Led in evidence by the state prosecutor, M. S. Oshodi, the doctor said: “One of the twins tagged ‘Victim X’ became pregnant after several sexual intercourses. Their mother got to know about it during an attempt to terminate the pregnancy. It was in the process of terminating the pregnancy that Victim X found out that the same principle was equally having an affair with her twin sister, tagged Victim Y.”
One of the twin sisters, (Victim X), had testified in court that the school principal kept a camp bed inside his office which he used whenever he wants to have sex with her. Victim X told the court that she aborted the pregnancy through the help of her mother, who took her to a nurse.
“I was still in SS1 when the incident happened. On that day, I was in my classroom when the principal entered and asked if my class teacher was around. I said no. He then ordered me to follow him to his office. When we got to his office, he started calling me sweet names before removing my school uniform. He thereafter had sexual intercourse with me and instructed me not to tell anyone.
“He continued having sex with me over a long period of time until I became pregnant. I didn’t even know that I was pregnant until one of our neighbours noticed some changes in my body and informed my mother. When my mother confronted me and slapped me several times, I told her that the principal has been having sex with me inside his office.
“My mum immediately called the principal and asked him, and he admitted impregnating me. He then told my mother that we should keep the baby but my mother refused. The principal begged my mother not to abort the pregnancy but she refused and took me to a nurse to remove it. My mother told him that she cannot allow me to carry a baby, at a tender age”.
She said it was the defendant that made money available for the abortion. “As a result of the abortion, my parents withdrew me from the school and enrolled me at the defendant’s father’s school, where I wrote my WAEC exams,” Victim X said.
Justice Solebo has adjourned the matter till November 18.
Dr. Oyedeji, a consultant at Mirabel Centre, LASUTH, told the court that the twin sisters confirmed to him that their principal had sexual relationship with them from 2015 to 2016. According to him, the principal, in the course of having incessant intercourse, impregnated one of the twins.
Led in evidence by the state prosecutor, M. S. Oshodi, the doctor said: “One of the twins tagged ‘Victim X’ became pregnant after several sexual intercourses. Their mother got to know about it during an attempt to terminate the pregnancy. It was in the process of terminating the pregnancy that Victim X found out that the same principle was equally having an affair with her twin sister, tagged Victim Y.”
One of the twin sisters, (Victim X), had testified in court that the school principal kept a camp bed inside his office which he used whenever he wants to have sex with her. Victim X told the court that she aborted the pregnancy through the help of her mother, who took her to a nurse.
“I was still in SS1 when the incident happened. On that day, I was in my classroom when the principal entered and asked if my class teacher was around. I said no. He then ordered me to follow him to his office. When we got to his office, he started calling me sweet names before removing my school uniform. He thereafter had sexual intercourse with me and instructed me not to tell anyone.
“He continued having sex with me over a long period of time until I became pregnant. I didn’t even know that I was pregnant until one of our neighbours noticed some changes in my body and informed my mother. When my mother confronted me and slapped me several times, I told her that the principal has been having sex with me inside his office.
“My mum immediately called the principal and asked him, and he admitted impregnating me. He then told my mother that we should keep the baby but my mother refused. The principal begged my mother not to abort the pregnancy but she refused and took me to a nurse to remove it. My mother told him that she cannot allow me to carry a baby, at a tender age”.
She said it was the defendant that made money available for the abortion. “As a result of the abortion, my parents withdrew me from the school and enrolled me at the defendant’s father’s school, where I wrote my WAEC exams,” Victim X said.
Justice Solebo has adjourned the matter till November 18.
My wife bought baby girl after 15 miscarriages in 29 years – Confession of a Lagos based husband
In many societies, certain stigmatisation follows the challenge of infertility. In parts of Africa especially, infertility is regarded as a shameful problem to have. Childbearing is highly valued in most Nigerian communities, and childlessness has manifold social consequences. For this reason, couples (women more than men) resort to searching quietly for cures, solutions, and remedies to the problem.
In Nigeria, the true meaning of marriage is only fulfilled if the couple conceives and bears children. Children are considered to be a source of power and pride.
While some attempt solutions like IVF, others try adoption, which hasn’t been quite as well-received in Nigeria as in countries of the West. For the unscrupulous ones though, baby-buying is the easiest way to achieve parenthood status, without questions.
IVF for many families is considered too expensive as it sometimes ranges between N500,000 and N1million and has about a 50 percent chance of failure. Many couples find these odds, not to their liking.
Adoption, on the other hand, comes with challenges of its own. There is the age of the child to be considered and how family and friends would treat an adopted child. The stigma that sometimes follows adoption is perhaps the biggest reason adoption is not a popular choice. This is coupled with the fact that in many Nigerian homes, relation by DNA, the opportunity to pass on family genetics, remains the most widely accepted.
After one year of regular intercourse, approximately 84 percent of couples will have conceived naturally, a study reveals. The study further states that the chances of conception rise to 92 percent after two years and to 93 percent after three years. After three years of not conceiving, the likelihood of a couple achieving pregnancy in the following year falls to 25 percent or less. The study further stipulates that about one in 10 couples can have difficulty conceiving.
Infertility has many potential causes, which may involve the man, the woman or both partners. In some cases, no cause of the problem can be determined, in which case the infertility is described as ‘unexplained’.
Unfortunately, couples that go through infertility remain in crisis if no solution is available. It represents a major crisis for most couples, with both partners experiencing loss of self-worth and self-esteem.
Childless couples can perceive well-meant remarks made at social gatherings or birthday parties, for example, as negative. Many women from countries like Nigeria consider their lives as hopeless if they cannot conceive because they face discrimination, ostracism and stigma if they fail to become pregnant or carry a baby to term.
Mrs. Lemi Bernard is a 52 year-old mother of two who resides in one of the border communities between Ogun and Lagos States. She explained to Saturday INDEPENDENT that she luckily became a mother as a result of her quick thinking and her ability to procure the funds to get a baby. With this, she is able to avoid the weird glances that women get when they fail to have children of their own.
Sharing her story in her native parlance, she said, “I got pregnant in Secondary School while I was schooling in Ilorin. My parents were very angry. I even thought my father would kill me. He actually would have killed me if not for my mother who helped me abort the baby in our house. The pregnancy was almost five or six months before they saw it, so it was hard.”
Bernard continued saying, “By the time I finished Secondary School, I knew I did not want to further my education, so I went to do business in Ibadan. Eventually, I got married, but baby never came. My husband was patient with me initially, but after five years, he started to go out and not come back. Eventually, after nine years, the marriage crashed.
“After waiting for another four years and trying with different men, I knew that I was the one who had a problem, so when I got married again, a friend’s sister took me to someone that could help me. Now I have two good children and I am happy. Nobody can say I am barren. Even my husband is happy and content. All it cost me was money.”
While Bernard was reluctant to share the deeper secrets of her baby-buying journey, she did say that, “when you have money, there is nothing you cannot buy. Today, we are no longer wealthy. In fact, the older of my two children, who is already in JSS 2 attends a public school because of money, but I don’t regret how I got the children.”
While her story might appear shocking, Saturday INDEPENDENT got another shocker. She shared the story of her friend whose sister helped her. After identifying the other woman simply as Mama Yellow, she spilled her secrets.
“Mama Yellow is very rich, but she and her husband have not had children since. She even lied to her husband that she gave birth in her last marriage but her sister told me it is a lie, that her sister has never been pregnant, let alone give birth. Mama Yellow bought her children from a place in Port Harcourt, but at that time, we didn’t know it was called baby factory. Whenever Mama Yellow wants a baby, she will go there. They will look at her and look for a girl that looks a little like her. Then they will find a man that has the same skin tone as the person that wants the baby so that the child won’t look too different from the ‘mother’.
“When that is settled, you pay for upkeep and medication and they start. Once the girl is pregnant, they call you and give you drugs to take that will make it look like you are also pregnant. Your body will start to change once you start taking the drugs; you will be tired and sleepy too, so everyone around you will think you are pregnant.
“Once it is a few weeks or months to the due date, depending on how buoyant you are, they will call you to travel down so that you will be near the pregnant girl. Immediately the girl delivers, they take the baby from her. They don’t even let the girl hold the baby so that she won’t get used to the baby. They give you the baby and you have become a mother.
“Mama Yellow did it three times. Fortunately for her, when she went back the third time five years ago, the girl that was carrying her baby was pregnant with twins, so she paid extra. She even sold one of her houses in the Eastern part of Nigeria to pay for the twins.
“Unfortunately, even though her husband did it with her willingly, he later impregnated another girl and bought her a house where she stays now. When it became a problem, he insisted that he did it because he must have his own biological children.”
While Bernard refused to reveal the actual amount that changed hands, she said, “Around 2006, they used to say it was about N400,000 to N500,000. But now, if you don’t have at least one million or two million naira, you can’t get a good one.”
These stories, while heartbreaking remains quite mild. One of the more recent child acquisition stories Saturday INDEPENDENT could find was the story of a woman in Iju area of Lagos. According to her husband of 29 years, his wife has always had miscarriages.
“She has had more than 15 miscarriages during our 29 years of marriage. Each time we think she will carry the pregnancy to term, something happens and she loses the pregnancy, even at six months. I thought we were cursed. One time she even gave birth and it was a stillbirth. We lost hope, and I married another woman. Within one year, my young wife gave birth to a baby girl, and we thought, my first wife would give birth, according to what we believe in the Yoruba culture. But after three years, she didn’t conceive, let alone give birth. Instead, her junior got pregnant again and gave birth to my son. That was how I knew she had problem, so I didn’t spend too much time with her.
“Once in a while, I spend the night with her, but I gave up on getting a child from her. Two years ago, 2017 during the December 31st crossover service, she told me that she was pregnant. I was surprised because she had not had any pregnancy or miscarriage in almost 17 years, but I took it with a pinch of salt. I didn’t expect it to stay.
“Later, she told me she was travelling to stay with her sister in Abuja, that Lagos stress was not good for the baby, so I said okay. A few months later, they called me that she gave birth and I was shocked. I didn’t believe it. I flew to Abuja immediately and I met her in a small clinic with a newborn baby girl. I was really happy that God had finally answered her after 25 years.
“I began to suspect foul play when she returned to Lagos and I never saw her breastfeed the baby. She said her doctor placed her on some drugs and it would be harmful to the baby. She always kept the baby locked in her apartment, and instead of getting a nanny, she brought a small girl from her village to assist her. Everything was fishy, but I never thought there was any problem.
“The girl is two years old now and we had moved on. My first daughter is in the university now, so the house is generally empty, so sound travels between all the apartments. I heard her on the phone talking to someone that ‘why is it so expensive?’ I heard her say she doesn’t if it’s another girl or boy, so the price shouldn’t differ. After I confronted her, she confessed that she went to Rivers State to get the baby, that she was tired of people looking at her like a barren woman. I had no choice but to forgive her, but that child is not mine and will never be. It is just like adoption, the child can never be yours.”
A concerned Nigerian who gave his name as Charles Davies said, “I don’t understand why everyone is making a big deal about these baby factories. It is simply business. It is a transaction. So far the girls are willing and they are paid, it is the same with adoption. Our problem is that we focus on the wrong things in Nigeria.”
But the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah Donli has a different opinion on things.
Speaking exclusively to Saturday INDEPENDENT, she said, “I think those who buy babies are just criminals because there is a procedure. There are legal ways by which anyone can adopt a child. First, you can’t just go and adopt a child like that, you must bond with that child for at least six months, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Why are you in a hurry to go and get a baby, a baby that you do not know and are not used to if you don’t have sinister motives? There are legal ways of adopting, and I expect and advice people to go through legal means because it is not an excuse. Buying a baby is a criminal offense and anybody that is caught buying a baby will be prosecuted. There are legal ways of adopting children in Nigeria and I advise everyone to stick to that.”
On the recent discovery of baby factories in Lagos, Donli said, “Seven of the girls from the baby factories would be having their babies any minute from now, they are in NAPTIP shelter. Out of the 26 girls that were given to us, 22 are pregnant between four months to eight months. Right now, we are taking care of them, we are feeding them and they are going to have their antenatal care and all of that. We just have to take it a day at a time. After their babies are born, then we would know the next steps to take, but right now, we are just interested in making sure that they are healthy and they have their babies safely while we go after the traffickers.”
She also shared that the kingpin of the baby factory operations is still on the run. “Madam Oluchi Eze is on the run. She is the kingpin. Her two accomplices are in custody, so we are still looking for Madam Oluchi Eze.”
While some attempt solutions like IVF, others try adoption, which hasn’t been quite as well-received in Nigeria as in countries of the West. For the unscrupulous ones though, baby-buying is the easiest way to achieve parenthood status, without questions.
IVF for many families is considered too expensive as it sometimes ranges between N500,000 and N1million and has about a 50 percent chance of failure. Many couples find these odds, not to their liking.
Adoption, on the other hand, comes with challenges of its own. There is the age of the child to be considered and how family and friends would treat an adopted child. The stigma that sometimes follows adoption is perhaps the biggest reason adoption is not a popular choice. This is coupled with the fact that in many Nigerian homes, relation by DNA, the opportunity to pass on family genetics, remains the most widely accepted.
After one year of regular intercourse, approximately 84 percent of couples will have conceived naturally, a study reveals. The study further states that the chances of conception rise to 92 percent after two years and to 93 percent after three years. After three years of not conceiving, the likelihood of a couple achieving pregnancy in the following year falls to 25 percent or less. The study further stipulates that about one in 10 couples can have difficulty conceiving.
Infertility has many potential causes, which may involve the man, the woman or both partners. In some cases, no cause of the problem can be determined, in which case the infertility is described as ‘unexplained’.
Unfortunately, couples that go through infertility remain in crisis if no solution is available. It represents a major crisis for most couples, with both partners experiencing loss of self-worth and self-esteem.
Childless couples can perceive well-meant remarks made at social gatherings or birthday parties, for example, as negative. Many women from countries like Nigeria consider their lives as hopeless if they cannot conceive because they face discrimination, ostracism and stigma if they fail to become pregnant or carry a baby to term.
Mrs. Lemi Bernard is a 52 year-old mother of two who resides in one of the border communities between Ogun and Lagos States. She explained to Saturday INDEPENDENT that she luckily became a mother as a result of her quick thinking and her ability to procure the funds to get a baby. With this, she is able to avoid the weird glances that women get when they fail to have children of their own.
Sharing her story in her native parlance, she said, “I got pregnant in Secondary School while I was schooling in Ilorin. My parents were very angry. I even thought my father would kill me. He actually would have killed me if not for my mother who helped me abort the baby in our house. The pregnancy was almost five or six months before they saw it, so it was hard.”
Bernard continued saying, “By the time I finished Secondary School, I knew I did not want to further my education, so I went to do business in Ibadan. Eventually, I got married, but baby never came. My husband was patient with me initially, but after five years, he started to go out and not come back. Eventually, after nine years, the marriage crashed.
“After waiting for another four years and trying with different men, I knew that I was the one who had a problem, so when I got married again, a friend’s sister took me to someone that could help me. Now I have two good children and I am happy. Nobody can say I am barren. Even my husband is happy and content. All it cost me was money.”
While Bernard was reluctant to share the deeper secrets of her baby-buying journey, she did say that, “when you have money, there is nothing you cannot buy. Today, we are no longer wealthy. In fact, the older of my two children, who is already in JSS 2 attends a public school because of money, but I don’t regret how I got the children.”
While her story might appear shocking, Saturday INDEPENDENT got another shocker. She shared the story of her friend whose sister helped her. After identifying the other woman simply as Mama Yellow, she spilled her secrets.
“Mama Yellow is very rich, but she and her husband have not had children since. She even lied to her husband that she gave birth in her last marriage but her sister told me it is a lie, that her sister has never been pregnant, let alone give birth. Mama Yellow bought her children from a place in Port Harcourt, but at that time, we didn’t know it was called baby factory. Whenever Mama Yellow wants a baby, she will go there. They will look at her and look for a girl that looks a little like her. Then they will find a man that has the same skin tone as the person that wants the baby so that the child won’t look too different from the ‘mother’.
“When that is settled, you pay for upkeep and medication and they start. Once the girl is pregnant, they call you and give you drugs to take that will make it look like you are also pregnant. Your body will start to change once you start taking the drugs; you will be tired and sleepy too, so everyone around you will think you are pregnant.
“Once it is a few weeks or months to the due date, depending on how buoyant you are, they will call you to travel down so that you will be near the pregnant girl. Immediately the girl delivers, they take the baby from her. They don’t even let the girl hold the baby so that she won’t get used to the baby. They give you the baby and you have become a mother.
“Mama Yellow did it three times. Fortunately for her, when she went back the third time five years ago, the girl that was carrying her baby was pregnant with twins, so she paid extra. She even sold one of her houses in the Eastern part of Nigeria to pay for the twins.
“Unfortunately, even though her husband did it with her willingly, he later impregnated another girl and bought her a house where she stays now. When it became a problem, he insisted that he did it because he must have his own biological children.”
While Bernard refused to reveal the actual amount that changed hands, she said, “Around 2006, they used to say it was about N400,000 to N500,000. But now, if you don’t have at least one million or two million naira, you can’t get a good one.”
These stories, while heartbreaking remains quite mild. One of the more recent child acquisition stories Saturday INDEPENDENT could find was the story of a woman in Iju area of Lagos. According to her husband of 29 years, his wife has always had miscarriages.
“She has had more than 15 miscarriages during our 29 years of marriage. Each time we think she will carry the pregnancy to term, something happens and she loses the pregnancy, even at six months. I thought we were cursed. One time she even gave birth and it was a stillbirth. We lost hope, and I married another woman. Within one year, my young wife gave birth to a baby girl, and we thought, my first wife would give birth, according to what we believe in the Yoruba culture. But after three years, she didn’t conceive, let alone give birth. Instead, her junior got pregnant again and gave birth to my son. That was how I knew she had problem, so I didn’t spend too much time with her.
“Once in a while, I spend the night with her, but I gave up on getting a child from her. Two years ago, 2017 during the December 31st crossover service, she told me that she was pregnant. I was surprised because she had not had any pregnancy or miscarriage in almost 17 years, but I took it with a pinch of salt. I didn’t expect it to stay.
“Later, she told me she was travelling to stay with her sister in Abuja, that Lagos stress was not good for the baby, so I said okay. A few months later, they called me that she gave birth and I was shocked. I didn’t believe it. I flew to Abuja immediately and I met her in a small clinic with a newborn baby girl. I was really happy that God had finally answered her after 25 years.
“I began to suspect foul play when she returned to Lagos and I never saw her breastfeed the baby. She said her doctor placed her on some drugs and it would be harmful to the baby. She always kept the baby locked in her apartment, and instead of getting a nanny, she brought a small girl from her village to assist her. Everything was fishy, but I never thought there was any problem.
“The girl is two years old now and we had moved on. My first daughter is in the university now, so the house is generally empty, so sound travels between all the apartments. I heard her on the phone talking to someone that ‘why is it so expensive?’ I heard her say she doesn’t if it’s another girl or boy, so the price shouldn’t differ. After I confronted her, she confessed that she went to Rivers State to get the baby, that she was tired of people looking at her like a barren woman. I had no choice but to forgive her, but that child is not mine and will never be. It is just like adoption, the child can never be yours.”
A concerned Nigerian who gave his name as Charles Davies said, “I don’t understand why everyone is making a big deal about these baby factories. It is simply business. It is a transaction. So far the girls are willing and they are paid, it is the same with adoption. Our problem is that we focus on the wrong things in Nigeria.”
But the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Dame Julie Okah Donli has a different opinion on things.
Speaking exclusively to Saturday INDEPENDENT, she said, “I think those who buy babies are just criminals because there is a procedure. There are legal ways by which anyone can adopt a child. First, you can’t just go and adopt a child like that, you must bond with that child for at least six months, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Why are you in a hurry to go and get a baby, a baby that you do not know and are not used to if you don’t have sinister motives? There are legal ways of adopting, and I expect and advice people to go through legal means because it is not an excuse. Buying a baby is a criminal offense and anybody that is caught buying a baby will be prosecuted. There are legal ways of adopting children in Nigeria and I advise everyone to stick to that.”
On the recent discovery of baby factories in Lagos, Donli said, “Seven of the girls from the baby factories would be having their babies any minute from now, they are in NAPTIP shelter. Out of the 26 girls that were given to us, 22 are pregnant between four months to eight months. Right now, we are taking care of them, we are feeding them and they are going to have their antenatal care and all of that. We just have to take it a day at a time. After their babies are born, then we would know the next steps to take, but right now, we are just interested in making sure that they are healthy and they have their babies safely while we go after the traffickers.”
She also shared that the kingpin of the baby factory operations is still on the run. “Madam Oluchi Eze is on the run. She is the kingpin. Her two accomplices are in custody, so we are still looking for Madam Oluchi Eze.”
Saturday, 12 October 2019
Delta state water regulatory unit restates commitment for effective water services delivery
By Emuji Magnus
The Delta State Water Regulatory Unit has reiterated it's commitment towards ensuring quality services in the water sector through effective implementation of the water laws and policies of the state, so that Deltans, especially water consumers get value for their services.
The Chairman of the State Water Regulatory Unit /committee, Engr. Henry Idama made the disclosure during separate advocacy visits to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources Development, Dr(Mrs) Felicia Adun and the State team leader of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Mr. Adedayo Marks Adeyemi in Asaba.
Engr. Idama, who is the Director of Dams and Reservoir in the Ministry, noted that the purpose of the visit was to intimidate them that the Unit had already hit the ground running with several advocacy meetings among the members of the committee aimed at evolving critical measures of impacting on the water sector through collective brainstorming among members and to solicit for their support.
The State Water Regulatory Unit /committee Chairman, however, commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, USAID and other international donor agencies for their uncommon passion for collaborating with the state government towards improving on the status of the water sector in Delta State, adding that when the water laws are effectively implemented, the narratives would change.
While stressing the strong need for the Water Regulatory Unit to have separate budgetary provisions from the state government in the 2020 Delta State budget to enable it carry out a number of crucial activities, Engr. Idama appealed to all stakeholders in the water sector particularly the service providers and water consumers to cooperate with the Unit in its determination to ensure standards in the provision and distribution of water, just as he said that the laws would be strictly enforced to protect both the interest of all the stakeholders in the sector.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources Development, Dr(Mrs) Felicia Adun enjoined the Unit to contribute their quota towards taking the water sector to enviable heights, and applauded Engr. Henry Idama led water regulatory unit /committee for being proactive as well it's commitments and resilient approach to its assignment.
In their separate remarks, the State team leader of USAID, Mr. Adedayo Marks Adeyemi, the Utility Technical Specialist, Engr. Raymond Akanasa and Mr. Ogunlana Olatunji, who is the USAID Utility Operations Specialist stated that the objective of the E-WASH programme waste change the negative narratives of lack of absence of sustainable services in the sanitation and water sector.
Mr. Adeyemi, particularly maintained that the role of the Regulatory Unit was to serve as a catalyst for enhancing sustainable services, adding that the Unit should not compromise on its tasks, even as he pledged the support of the USAID programme to the State Water Regulatory Unit to enable it function optimally.
Engr. Akanasa and Mr. Olatunji recalled that the programme was designed to ensure that Deltans accessed potable water supply, sanitation and hygiene through the strengthening of the State Urban Water Corporation, saying that it was necessary for Delta State Government to make budgetary provision for the Water Regulatory Unit which would metamorphose into a Commission.
The Delta State Water Regulatory Unit has reiterated it's commitment towards ensuring quality services in the water sector through effective implementation of the water laws and policies of the state, so that Deltans, especially water consumers get value for their services.
Engr. Idama, who is the Director of Dams and Reservoir in the Ministry, noted that the purpose of the visit was to intimidate them that the Unit had already hit the ground running with several advocacy meetings among the members of the committee aimed at evolving critical measures of impacting on the water sector through collective brainstorming among members and to solicit for their support.
The State Water Regulatory Unit /committee Chairman, however, commended Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, USAID and other international donor agencies for their uncommon passion for collaborating with the state government towards improving on the status of the water sector in Delta State, adding that when the water laws are effectively implemented, the narratives would change.
While stressing the strong need for the Water Regulatory Unit to have separate budgetary provisions from the state government in the 2020 Delta State budget to enable it carry out a number of crucial activities, Engr. Idama appealed to all stakeholders in the water sector particularly the service providers and water consumers to cooperate with the Unit in its determination to ensure standards in the provision and distribution of water, just as he said that the laws would be strictly enforced to protect both the interest of all the stakeholders in the sector.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water Resources Development, Dr(Mrs) Felicia Adun enjoined the Unit to contribute their quota towards taking the water sector to enviable heights, and applauded Engr. Henry Idama led water regulatory unit /committee for being proactive as well it's commitments and resilient approach to its assignment.
In their separate remarks, the State team leader of USAID, Mr. Adedayo Marks Adeyemi, the Utility Technical Specialist, Engr. Raymond Akanasa and Mr. Ogunlana Olatunji, who is the USAID Utility Operations Specialist stated that the objective of the E-WASH programme waste change the negative narratives of lack of absence of sustainable services in the sanitation and water sector.
Mr. Adeyemi, particularly maintained that the role of the Regulatory Unit was to serve as a catalyst for enhancing sustainable services, adding that the Unit should not compromise on its tasks, even as he pledged the support of the USAID programme to the State Water Regulatory Unit to enable it function optimally.
Engr. Akanasa and Mr. Olatunji recalled that the programme was designed to ensure that Deltans accessed potable water supply, sanitation and hygiene through the strengthening of the State Urban Water Corporation, saying that it was necessary for Delta State Government to make budgetary provision for the Water Regulatory Unit which would metamorphose into a Commission.
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