Human rights lawyer Tope Temokun has filed a formal petition with Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa alleging the unlawful detention of a 16-year-old girl at the Ondo State Children’s Home in Oba-Ile.
Temokun, acting on behalf of the girl’s parents, Mr. Dele and Mrs. Labake Wilky, claims that the teenager is being held against her parents’ consent by an official from the children’s home, known locally as the Motherless Babies Home.
In his petition, which was also sent to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, the Commissioner of Police, and the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Temokun argues that the girl’s detention lacks any legal or justifiable basis. He alleges that the parents were subjected to intimidation and physical assault by NSCDC officials and staff from the children’s home during their attempts to secure their daughter’s release.
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The lawyer explained that the girl left her family home on October 30 after a dispute involving financial losses from her POS business. The following day, officials from the children’s home, accompanied by NSCDC personnel, visited the family and reportedly insisted that the girl be taken to the children’s home. Once there, staff informed her parents that she would remain in the facility indefinitely, without providing any legal explanation.
In an October 31 visit to the children’s home, Mrs. Labake Wilky was allegedly informed that her daughter was no longer in the facility. The mother’s insistence on answers reportedly led to a physical altercation with staff, during which her husband, who attempted to record the incident, was also assaulted, resulting in torn clothing. Photographs and video evidence of the incident were submitted alongside the petition.
Temokun’s petition urges the Ondo State Governor to initiate an immediate investigation into both the staff’s actions and the policies of the children’s home. He also requests that the girl be returned to her family, arguing that such incidents could damage the reputation of Ondo State if left unaddressed.
In his statement, Temokun said, “The family fears that a lack of action could signal a troubling precedent for human rights abuses within the state, casting a shadow on its image.”
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