Warri- BB Hotel Manager, Other Staff Arrested Over Alleged Abduction, Trafficking Of 14Yrs Old Girl
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Olufemi Abaniwonda |
Policemen from "B" Division in Warri, Delta State have arrested BB Hotel Manager, Chizoba Okafor and a Pool attendant, Chika Emmanuel over an alleged abduction and trafficking of a fourteen (14) years old girl (names withheld) in the hotel for one month.
According to reports, the alleged victim who is JSS Student was also threatened and forced into child labour within the period.
Two staff of the hotel, Chika Emmanuel and one Victor who resides in the same apartment in the hotel have been fingered in the ungodly act. At the moment, the said Victor is nowhere to be found.
Matters came to the open when the victim's father, Eguono Dogun in company of policemen stormed the hotel and arrested Chika Emmanuel with the hotel manager. BB Hotel is purportedly owned by former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo.
Narrating her ordeal, the victim said when she left their house early April, it was Chika Emmanuel and Victor that called and asked her to come over. She said; "The day I went there, it was Oga Chika I saw. He welcomed me inside his house. He carried me up to the last flat. He then asked; will you eat? I said No. Will I drink anything? I said Ok. you can give me soft drink."
According to the victim, "He went inside the room, brought out Hollandia Yoghurt. He gave the Hollandia Yoghurt to me. After a sip of it, I found out that I was feeling sleepy. I said I want to go home. He said No. I should not go home that I can sleep here. I said I cannot sleep here that I have to go and meet my mummy and my daddy that they will be looking for me. So, I fell asleep.
"When I woke up the next day, I find out that my dress was not on my body. I was naked. I noticed somebody had slept with me. I saw Oga Chika and Victor standing in my front. They were greeting me, telling me that I should wear my clothes. I asked them what happened to me? They said they brought somebody to sleep with me. I asked them why would they do something like that? I said that I want to go home. They said No. I cannot go home that I will be staying here for now. I asked why? They said nothing that they want me to be staying here that I will make money here.
"I disagreed. So, they threatened me that, if I leave the hotel or if I go anywhere, that they're going to trace my mummy and my daddy and kill them with my siblings. So, I was afraid. I said Ok. I will not go that I will stay. They said I should just cooperate that they will not harm me. Since then, they will be bringing men that will be sleeping with me and give me money. The Oga Chika will collect the money from my hand. He gave me five thousand (#5,000) naira as my feeding money.
"The thing has been going on for two weeks. The other week, they said I should go and find work that I should not run. That no matter what, they will find me, kill my parents, my siblings, they will kill me too."
The victim noted that she started working with someone as a sales girl at Robson .G. Shopping plaza. She said, "I told them I was staying with my uncle according to what Oga Chika said I should tell them. That if they say they want to see the uncle, I should call him (Chika)."
The victim who spoke with us exclusively said, she's not feeling too well as a result of the marathon sex job she had undergone in the hands of the suspects and other men. "I have chest pain. At times, my chest will hook and I will not be able to breath."
When asked if she had undergone any medical test, the victim said, "Yes but that the result will be out on Monday next week.
BB Hotel Manager, Chizoba Okafor denied knowledge of any happenings as well as knowing the victim.
She said Police stormed the hotel on Tuesday on the invitation that the DPO wants to see her only for her to be arrested after she honoured the invitation.
"Something happened. I did not know what happened but what I saw was when they are beating the security of the hotel. Almost three or four men are beating him. So, as a manager of the place, I have to ask, what happened. They didn't allow me to say anything. I have to call police, the one I have the number, when I was calling the beating was much."
Chizoba said, that they said that the boy kept their daughter in their hotel which am not aware. "Nobody told me. I wasn't aware. I didn't know the name of the victim. So, am not aware."
When asked who brought the girl into the hotel between Chika and Victor, she said, "I don't know the one that brought her. They said, it's Victor."
She explained that the hotel gave staff room to stay while working. She said, two persons to a room and on this very note, the security man, and the other one is the house keeper. The two persons in the room were Victor and Chika.
When asked where the suspects who occupied the rooms wherein the girl was lodged, she said, "Chika is inside the cell why Victor travelled on the 23rd of April."
When asked if she knows the age of the victim, Okafor said, "I don't know the age. Somebody I don't know, how would I know her age?"
On his part, the suspect, Chika Emmanuel also denied the allegations leveled against him by the young girl.
Emmanuel explained that four men came to the hotel that they were looking for Victor. "They asked who am I and I said, I stay in the same room with Victor. They held me and started beating me. I started telling them what happened."
Emmanuel who is cooling off his heels at the Police cell disclosed how he came to know the victim.
"She came to the hotel on Sunday to swim early April. On Monday morning, she came again and swim. Same Monday evening, she came back to the hotel and saw me at the gate and she asked that she doesn't have where she's staying. She needs somebody that will accommodate her. I said where are you staying before that day? She said she's staying at Iyara. That she doesn't like how Iyara people behave. They smoke, kill people anyhow. I asked what of your mother, she said her mother is late. What of your daddy? She said when they gave birth to her newly, she doesn't know her father. I said I cannot accommodate you. She went inside the hotel and meet the Victor. This Victor, we are staying together in the same apartment they gave us in the hotel. The apartment is parlour and room. Am staying in the room while Victor is staying in the parlour. When she met Victor, I didn't know that Victor accepted. Victor came to me, he said the girl is his girlfriend. That the girl is more like a sister to him. That the girl want to stay for two (2) days. I said Victor, this thing is not allowed. Please, go and inform the management which he accepted.
"Before you know it, I started seeing the girl with him in the parlour. One time, he had issue with the girl. I asked him let this girl go. He refused. That was last week he travelled. He said he's going to play ball and I don't even know the place. But according to the manager, she said he is at Sapele. When Victor travelled that was when the father came with the girl to the hotel to look for Victor. They didn't see him, they started beating me."
When asked if he, Chika informed the hotel management of the happenings, he said, "I am not the type that normally report staff. The only thing I did just as I wrote in my statement, I told Victor that management do not allow it. If you must accept this, go and tell management. But Victor said, it's for two (2)days. When they have stayed more than two days, I told Victor, you said this thing is for two (2)days, go and tell management before Victor now got work for her at plaza."
Chika denied allegations of sexually trading with the girl. "Throughout her stay there, I have never collected money nor asked her to follow any man even when I see them with men in that place, I always react.
Chika however agreed collecting the sum of thirteen thousand naira (#13,000) from the victim. "That was on Monday before she went to work at plaza. She gave me 13,000 naira to keep for her. Till she finished, I have never given her to any man. Any man she was following was coming on her own. I asked her how she got the 13,000 naira she gave me."
Chika further said, "I have never done anything with her (sex). I have never given her out nor had sex with her. I have never done it. I can swear anything. Whatever you face me, I can swear it and I will still want you, if you give me anything to swear, she should also swear it. Let me see if she can swear it."
The father of the fourteen (14) year old girl, Eguono Dogun expressed his anger over the development just as he urged the government at all levels to help fight the battle by ensuring the law take its course.
Dogun noted that some persons have been calling him for settlement and even trying to bribe the Police to sweep the matter under the carpet but the DPO "B" Division insisted that the law must take its cause.
While noting that his daughter had done medical texts, Dogun said the result will be out by Monday.
Dogun also said he wants the suspect to be prosecuted in line with stipulated laws so as to serve as a deterrent to others. He added that the hotel manager should also be prosecuted for negligence to her duty in the hotel as well as human trafficking and alleged kidnapping of his daughter for over a month.
"The owner of the hotel is trying to oppress me and my family. Am seeing some lawyers. They say they want to take the manager on bail that they will do everything humanly possible to exonerate the manager from the case."
When contacted for comments, Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe confirmed the report in a WhatsApp message sent to Our Correspondent in Warri.
The Police Image maker said, "Confirm but I don't know about the identity of the owner pls."
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