An 11-year old girl, Favour Okechukwu, was gang-raped to death in Ejigbo area of Lagos with the perpetrators on the run.
The deceased, a Junior Secondary School 3 student was sent on an errand by her mother, by 3 p.m.
She was said to have been lured into a building on Olarewaju street, where four men took turns to rape her. She was suspected to have been gaged in the process, apparently to avoid raising that alarm.
Meanwhile back in her parent’s abode at Ore-Ofe street, apprehension had set it by 6 pm when her father, Okechukwu Dickson, returned home without any sight of his first child. When informed that she had not returned from the errand, he went in search of her.
To his dismay, Favour’s corpse was found in a building on Olarewaju street, not too far from her parents, close to two hours into the search. On closer observation, she was discovered to be naked, with her body stained with blood.
Her devastating mother who was still trying to come to terms with the crude reality of her daughter’s demise could not speak with Saturday Vanguard. But her father who managed to speak, betrayed his emotion as he narrated how he found her corpse.
Hear him, ”I was shocked when my wife said Favour hadn’t returned from where she was to collect a carton of the gala(snack) because it was unusual of her to stay long outside. I went to three of her classmate’s houses to look for her but they all said they didn’t see her. I was walking like a mad man, asking everyone I saw about her whereabout and it was getting dark. ”
“I saw a man who lives on the same street with me and told him I was looking for my daughter. He informed that he had to close early because a little girl was raped to death in a building close to his shop. ”I decided to go and check since I was looking for my daughter and he accompanied me to the building. Behold, when I got there, it was my daughter, Favour! She laid motionless. I shouted, shook her vigorously as I called out her name, begging her to wake up. But she didn’t respond. I was too shocked to believe she was gone just like that. A child I left hale and hearty while leaving the house in the morning, was gone when I returned”, he said in tears.
He, therefore, appealed to anyone with information on the fleeing assailants to avail such to the police, in order for her to get justice. Lamenting he said: ” Favour was full of life. She was very brilliant. All I want is for the perpetrators of this devilish act to be brought to book”.
Already, occupants of the buildings had fled for fear of being arrested by the Police. Saturday Vanguard gathered that policemen from Ejigbo division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, CSP Olabisi Okuwobi, arrived the scene when information reached them. It was gathered that the DPO paid for the ambulance that took the corpse to the morgue.
Some suspects had already been arrested. But they denied culpability. They were said to have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for further investigation.
A spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who confirmed the incident, assured that the command would do all within its reach to ensure that the fleeing suspects were arrested.
Actress Hilda Dokubu has also taken to social media to demanded justice for Favour. A post shared by her on her IG page reads;
”On the 30th Sept 2020, about 3pm, Favour was gang-raped to death around Ejigbo area, Lagos State. She would have been 12 years on the 21st October.
On the day Favour was raped, she was running errands for her nursing mother. Upon gang-raping her to a state of unconsciousness, the boys engaged a quack nurse to check her. @wrahpnigeria led @actionaidnigeria to meet with her parents today.
Whist we cannot confirm if the nurse administered any treatment on her, @ActionAidNigeria will ensure the quack nurse, the young men and all others involved in this dastard act are brought to book. We will ensure #Justice4Favour.
Our daughters MUST feel safe to walk on the street. @actionaidnigeria will continue to work with relevant stakeholders to make our cities, our nation safe for women and girls.
#Justice4Favour #SafeCities #EndRape #StandToEndRape
What is all this? Why? why? why?
I promised myself to stay extremely joyful the rest of the year, especially this month of my birth! But this is so depressing! This is deep seated wickedness!
I know why I am tagged on this post and yes we all need to stand up against RAPE and all forms of gender based violence and abuse
They must pay for the gruesome murder of this child.I join @Actionaid in the call for #justiceforfavour”
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
