14-year-old rescued from lover, flees home again

Rosemary 

Two weeks after a 14-year-old girl, identified only as Rosemary,
was rescued from the apartment of her alleged lover, 40-year-
old Chukwu Nkenna, the teenager has gone missing again in the
Agege area of Lagos.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Rosemary, who hails from Jos, Plateau
State, had been taken away from Nkenna’s apartment at Obelle
Junction, Surulere, on Monday, September 8, by officials of the
Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Our correspondent gathered that Rosemary, who reportedly
came to Lagos State in January 2014, had been in the care of a
non-governmental organisation interested in girl education,
before she left in December 2014, due to financial challenges.
The teenager was said to have met Nkenna, more commonly
known as Kema , in the Surulere area around January 2015. She
was reportedly staying in Nkenna’s house, who hails from Delta
State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that in July, neighbours reported to the
police in Surulere that Rosemary was being sexually abused and
was suspected to be pregnant.
It was gathered that the Surulere Police Division on Friday,
August 21, arrested Nkenna, for allegedly raping the teenager.
The matter was said to have been transferred to the State
Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, on Monday, August
24.
The police at SDCI were said to have later released Nkenna,
while the victim was asked to seek medical attention.
Our correspondent gathered that Rosemary thereafter went back
to Nkenna to continue to stay with him.
The matter was said to have also been brought to the attention
of MWAPA, which sent its officials to take the girl from the
suspect’s house on September 8.
It was learnt that Rosemary was billed to go to a government
rehabilitation centre, but she opted to stay in the Agege area
with her uncle.
Our correspondent learnt that on Sunday, October 13, Rosemary
reportedly sneaked out of her uncle’s apartment in Agege, and
had since not been found.
When our correspondent visited Nkenna’s apartment in Surulere
on the trail of the teenager, she was not found. Nkenna was also
said to have travelled out of Lagos State, and was unavailable
for comment.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro , Rosemary’s uncle, who identified
himself simply as Benjamin, said, “When Nkenna was initially
arrested by the police and taken to SDCI, the police failed to
follow up the matter. They released him, and said we should
allow the girl to marry the man since they were both lovers.
“I was not happy with the way they treated that case. When they
asked the two of them to go home, she returned to Nkenna’s
house until she was taken from the apartment by government
officials.
“Days later, she fled, and since that time, we have been looking
for her. She called one of my brothers two days ago, but she did
not tell us where she was staying. We asumed that she is with
the suspect. We do not have Nkenna’s number. So, we cannot
reach him.
“We want the state government to arrest Nkenna and bring our
daughter back. There was a time that Nkenna called the family
with Rosemary’s number, and we asked him to show up, but he
refused. We are still looking for her.”
When our correspondent got to MWAPA in Alausa, an official,
who confirmed that the ministry was handling the case, said the
director of the Child Protection Unit was unavailable for
comment.
“The case was reported to the unit by an NGO, and we are
working on it. The director is not around to talk on it,” she
added.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, said
investigation was ongoing on the matter.
He said, “We have the case at the SDCI, and what we are
investigating is alleged rape. The police do not get involved in
cases of relationships and marriages. If the girl is a minor, the
police know she cannot give a valid consent.
“The family of the girl should find out where their daughter is,
and let the police know so we can assist in recovering her. If the
suspect is given an administrative bail, he will come back on the
day he is asked to report. If he does not show up, then we know
what to do.”
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