A 25-year-old Nigerian lady simply identified as Blessing has narrated how her father’s friend and colleague, Mr Onuoha Odih, raped her and filmed the act in Lagos.
Describing the relationship between the suspect and her father, she she said “He and my dad used to work with the church as security guards before he began working for the church as an informant. My father lost his sight about five years ago, so he stopped working and had to be staying at home, so things became tough. He used to send money to my dad occasionally.”
According to the interview she had with The Punch, Blessing said after returning from work around 9pm, her father asked her to go and collect the money the suspect, also known as ‘king of boys,’ promised him.
“When I got there, he transferred N10,000 to me. He said I should give N5,000 to my dad and keep the remaining N5,000. I thanked him and as I was about leaving, he said I would have to appreciate him in kind. He wanted me to ‘sleep’ (have sex) with him and I said no.
“I asked if it was because of the N5,000 he gave me that he was making such a demand, and I told him to give me his account number. He did and I transferred his money back to him immediately. I have the evidence.”
“Immediately after he received the money, he brought out a knife, locked the gate and asked me to undress.”
“I ran towards the gate of the vacant land, hoping I could force it open, but he ran after me and dragged me back. The fence was high, so there was no way I could escape. I was shouting and calling for help but he said no one would answer me. He lived in a small security house on the premises.
“I refused to remove my clothes and tried to run back to the gate but he charged at me, threatening to stab me. His eyes were red and I didn’t want to lose my life. When he was done, I asked him to open the gate but he refused. He said he would do another round. I was alarmed and kept screaming but no one responded.
“Then, he brought out his knife again and I was forced to endure the trauma the second time. I screamed but no one answered. He said he would kill and bury me there and nobody would know. He boasted that he would even give me money to go to FESTAC police station to report but that nothing would happen to him because he knew how he would bribe the policemen.”
Speaking on how she was able to escape from the premises, She said after a while Odih slept off, she managed to retrieve the key and escape around 3am.
But unknown to her, he recorded the act with his phone with the aid of the flash, which she thought was an ordinary torch.
Blessing said she cried all night and could only tell her brother. “I didn’t tell my dad until two days after because I knew it would break him and it really did.”
She later reported the case at the Ago Police Station and notified the founder of Jashabel Touch-A-Heart Foundation, a human rights organisation, Mrs Favour Benson, who had been monitoring the case.
Blessing said police arrested Odih, checked his phone and saw about 20 videos of him having sex with different women, including her.
She said the matter had since been referred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, for further investigation.
She said, “I want justice. I have been receiving calls from unknown persons telling me to drop the case and they have been making threats.”
She said the result of the test she undertook at the Mirabel Centre in Ikeja was already with the police in Panti, hoping that justice would be served. “I have not been able to erase the incident from my mind,” she added.
