Nigerian girls rescued from prostitution in Burkina Faso

6 Nigerian girls have been returned to the country from Burkina Faso where they were allegedly taken to work as prostitutes by a woman named Balikis.

While re-uniting the girls with their parents in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Wednesday, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Oyo State Command, Innocent Akatu, said the girls were tricked to leave Nigeria, adding that the victims did not tell their parents about the journey.
Akatu said the girls refused to engage in prostitution in Ouagadougu, Burkina-Faso, hence were locked in a room by the trafficker.

He added that their journey back home after three weeks began when one of them escaped and alerted the Burkinabe police.
He said,
“The victims, after being smuggled to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, discovered that they were going to be used for prostitution. They were not even told that they were going to Burkina Faso. These girls were told that they would be given lucrative jobs abroad; one of them was told that she was going to manage a jewellery shop owned by her trafficker.
“One of them was taken from her home in Ikorodu, Lagos State, and driven to Saki in Oyo State. When she asked why it had taken them so long to reach the airport, she was told that the plane had left and that they would have to travel by road.
“The Nigerian embassy assisted in arranging emergency travelling documents for them to return to Nigeria after their lucky escape. We have taken them to the hospital for screening and they are HIV negative.”
One of the returnees, Ganiyat Samuel, said she lived with her grandmother in Ikorodu before she embarked on the journey.
She said, “A woman, called Balikis, came to me and said that I would make more money as a fashion designer if I travel outside Nigeria. I told her that I had no passport, but she said that she would take care of it. I did not tell any of my parents.
“When we got to Saki, she said she could not get a passport for me because the office had closed. We travelled for two days to get to Burkina Faso. She took me to her house and told me that I would have to do HIV test. The test revealed that I was pregnant, but HIV negative. She told me that she brought me to the country for prostitution and that I would have to abort the pregnancy. I refused and she locked me in a room. When she brought another Nigerian a week later, I helped the girl to escape and she alerted the police. The police rescued us and arrested the woman.”
Samuel’s mother, Olasunkanmi Afuwape, said her father had died and after she re-married, she took the girl and her brother to live with her mother in Ikorodu.

Source: Punch

At Least 20 Dead in Yaounde, Cameroon

Several charred bodies and a pile of corpses are the results of the blasts that went off in 2 different locations in Maroua, the capital of the Far North Region, a market place and a densely populated area. the attacks were reportedly carried out by young girls in Maroua.
The Boko Haram terrorist groups had previously burnt at least 6 children and 3 adults, leaving 11 others injured during an attack on the village of Kamouna. Police Officer, Eric Bambe, told Associated Press news agency that the actual number of casualties is yet to be ascertained as there are still searching for bodies.

source: DailyPost

Customer Raped by Her Tricyclist

31 year-old Obinna Ezechukwu has been arraigned in a Magistrate Court in Ikeja for allegedly raping his customer. Three counts of stealing, obtaining by false pretenses, and rape were leveled against the accused who resides in Oshodi area of Lagos State.
The prosecutor told the court that the tricyclist who picks the victim everyday from the bus-stop to her work place, promised to secure an apartment within his compound for the victim. After collecting 30,000 naira under the pretext of securing a vacant room in his compound, he invited her to meet with the landlord where he offered her a drugged drink and raped her.
The victim, 23, said that when when she woke up, she found that she was naked and had been raped. The prosecutor stated that the offences were contrary to Section 258(1), 285 & 312(a) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him. the Magistrate, Mr. Tajudeen Elias, in his ruling, granted the accused bail in the sum of 200,000 with 2 sureties each in like sum and adjourned the case till August 18th.

source: Daily Trust

Anaemic Girl Raped by a University of Lagos Graduate

A University of Lagos gradaute, Imonitie Ilen-Otuma, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly raping a 27 year-old lady with sickle cell. The act was committed when the victim who had previously dated the accused went to the movies, then clubbing with Imonitie. When she insisted on going home around 12 am, the accused refused and instead, lured her to the back seat of his car where he squeezed her throat and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
The victim's mother who narrated the incident said that the accused threatened to strangle her daughter and dump her by the roadside. She said the victim pleaded with Imonitie not to rape her because she was a virgin, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.
The victim is presently hospitalized and is undergoing treatment for injuries she sustained during the incident. The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu said the matter has been referred to the State Department pf Criminal Investigation, Yaba

Chibok Girls: The Government can Negotiate with Boko Haram

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that his government is ready to negotiate with ISIL's West Africa's franchise, Boko Haram, over the release of the abducted girls. Buhari disclosed the information in an interview with Christine Amanpour of CNN while also adding that the government had to be extremely careful about the credibility of the various Boko Haram groups so as to ensure that negotiations are done with the right group. According to the President, the goal of the negotiations is to free the girls, unite them with their parents, return them to their schools, and rehabilitate them so they can live normal lives.

source: daily trust

Governor Ambode promises support to end Rape and Domestic Violence

Akinwunmi Ambode, Governor of Lagos State yesterday urged state residents to be courageous enough to report and speak against sexual and domestic violence which according to him, is the first step in bringing perpetrators to justice.
The Governor while receiving the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, stated that the government is ready to protect the identities of those who choose to bring cases of domestic abuse and sexual violence to light.
Furthermore, Governor Ambode promised to put an institutional framework in place that will make the Lagos State Domestic Violence Law 2007 viable, saying that he will stop at nothing to protect the interest of women and children in the state.
Governor Ambode reminded the public that one of his cardinal programmes during his campaign was that he would stand up for everyone which actually means standing up for women and children.