By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Against the backdrop of some viral social media rants by some netizens, the mother of the 3-year-old girl who was allegedly defiled in Onitsha Anambra State by her father, has said she and her child are safe and comfortable in the custody of the Anambra State government where they are.
Recall that one Mr. Magnus Odidika Okpalannadi (popularly known as Churchman) was recently accused of defiling his 3-year-old daughter, and has reportedly been on the run since the matter got to the attention of the Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.
However, while the State Government keeps the victim and her mother in the custody to ensure their safety, as the search for the fleeing suspect continues; posts started emerging and trending on various social media platforms, accusing the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Ify Obinabo of holding the child and her mother hostage and attempting to sweep the case under the carpet.
One of such posts, which many have described as an unnecessary social media rant, is the one on the X-Space by the person behind the account @PIDOMNIGERIA, who alleged that the state government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs, is not only holding the victim and her mother hostage, but also has decided to sweep the defilement case under the carpet.
However, speaking in an interview with some journalists over the week, the victim’s mother said they are safer and comfortable in the government’s custody, while also cautioning netizens to allow the Commissioner and security agencies to do their jobs without distractions.
According to the video and written content of the interview shared by the Public Relations Officer of the Women Affairs Ministry, Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, the mother of the victim said her husband (who defiled their daughter) is dangerous and is ready to do anything to ensure that the case is closed; hence the reason they are afraid to return home since after the case was reported to the authority, especially now that the suspect is yet to be apprehended.
Ikeanyionwu wrote: “When the issue broke out on the internet, the Women and Social Welfare Commissioner, Hon. Ify Obinabo quickly reached out to the survivor and her three-year-old twin, and kept them in a safe place, while she partnered with security operatives on the best way to apprehend the suspect who is currently at large.
“The mother of the survivor, who stated that the husband is dangerous and is ready to do anything to ensure that the case is closed, urged bloggers to allow the Women Affairs Boss handle the case as the present Soludo-led Administration is competent of apprehending the suspect.
“She went on to state that she and her daughter are safe and well taken care of where they are, against the viral notion, making the waves that she’s under captive and not allowed to move around.
“She also enjoined them to support the government instead of dishing out false allegations that can only prevent investigation and arrest of the fleeing suspect.”
Earlier reacting to the allegation, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. Obinabo expressed displeasure with the rate at which some netizens intend to sway people’s opinions through unnecessary allegations on such a sensitive matter as that.
According to her, her cogent refusal to feed the owner of the said Twitter account with sensitive information regarding the case and step-by-step actions being taken towards arresting the suspect was the reason the he rushed to the media space to make unverifiable allegations against her and the state government concerning the case.
While revealing that the person behind the said account on X-Space was always calling her and pressurizing her to feed him with the step-by-step information regarding the matter (which she declined to do): she wondered the culprit would then be arrested if the steps towards arresting him are being made public from time to time.
Commissioner Obinabo further explained that, although, capturing the suspect is very important, the safety of the victim and her mother cannot be overlooked, and which is what the government is currently doing by keeping them in custody where they would be free from harm or attack.
She also emphasized that the Soludo-led Anambra government, as usual, would not leave any stone unturned in fishing out the culprit, investigating the matter, charging him to court, and securing justice for the little girl.
Commissioner Obinabo equally advised netizens to always be cautious of what they feed the public and what they consume; urging them to always be mindful of the victim and the mother and ensure they don’t do anything capable of aggravating the situation or sabotaging the government’s sincere efforts on the matter.
“So, I encourage bloggers to keep doing their works; but when security or life is involved, they should use their number six,” she added.
