BY STEPHEN SIMON
The Legal Aid Coordination Committee (LACC) has intervened in the case of sexual abuse against a minor and child abuse involving a suspect Mr. Uche James Orji. It can be recalled that sometime in June, following a report from a concerned citizen about repeated sexual abuse of an 11 year old girl and abuse of a boy by the suspect, members of the Human Rights Committee of the NBA Surulere Branch in collaboration with an NGO Zarephath Aid visited the Human Rights desk of the Area ‘C’ Command of the Nigeria Police at Ojuelegba Surulere where the matter had been reported.
During the visit to the Officer in-charge of the Desk, members of the team discovered that the suspect had been granted bail and allowed to take the boy to his kith and kin in their state while the girl was still in the suspect’s house. Upon discovering that the Officer’s handling of the matter was less than professional, the team escalated the matter to the LACC, a platform of Human rights groups, NBA branches and the justice sector led by the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON).
Following the report, the Gender unit of the Lagos State Police Command was alerted and all the parties were invited to their office. The suspect has been charged to court 2 Ebute Metta on a four-count charge of sexual assault inter alia. The NBA Surulere Human Rights Committee and Zarephath Aid will hold a watching brief in the matter. In addition, the Police resident prosecutor has been alerted on the efforts of the LACC on the matter and the need for witness availability. VIEW CHARGE SHEET HERE
