A
Lebanese chef identified as Hassan Ali Husseini, an unmarried man in his 60s
who got a 17 year old girl Rhoda after raping her says he ll accept the baby if
it resembles him.
The
teenager, who is now in the custody of NAPTIP, only came to Lagos from Plateau
State, in June 2015, to make enough money to establish a business or go back to
school, her brother, Joseph said.
But
that may all just be a dream now. She alleged that on that fateful day in
August 2015, her elderly boss gagged and forced himself on her. Shortly after,
Rhoda said she noticed that she had missed her period. She told NAPTIP
officials that he again raped her after he informed him that she might be
pregnant.
She
alleged that after many attempts by Husseini to force her to have an abortion
without success, he kicked her out of his home.
“My
sister told us that after she missed her period and confronted Husseini that
she might be pregnant, the man took her to a drug store to get an abortion drug
on two occasions. She said both times she used the drug, it did not work,”
Rhoda’s brother said.
It
was after this that Husseini allegedly chased the girl out of his house.
Joseph
said his sister was brought to Lagos by another sibling of theirs who later
took her to the chef, who was in need of housemaid in his Allen Avenue
apartment where he lives alone.
“He
initially denied raping and impregnating my sister in January when we first
confronted him. But we had no doubt whatsoever that he was responsible.
“Who
else could have raped my sister when she did not even know anywhere else in
Lagos? Since she came to Lagos, she had always worked in his house and did not
yet have friends around.”
It was learnt that Husseini has finally opened up
to officials of NAPTIP that he indeed had sexual intercourse with Rhoda but
that it was consensual. The parties are now seeking an amicable settlement of
the issue.
But
the family said admitting responsibility was not enough.
“He
has to be responsible for the girl and her child. I want justice for my sister.
If a Nigerian had done this in Lebanon for instance, would the government there
take it lightly with the culprit? My sister’s case should be able to show the
world that we are a country that value our own people.
“They
have been talking about getting an apartment for her where she could move into
as soon as she delivers. But I will not look for an apartment for my sister who
was raped by a foreigner.
The rapist has to be the one to do that. He must get
an apartment for her and make her comfortable. That child must have a father
when it is born.
“My
fear is that if he gets the apartment, without the commitment of NAPTIP, he
would simply run away. It will be the fault of NAPTIP if that man escapes
justice. If he was willing to rape her, then he should be willing to stand by
her and be the father of her child.”
The
girl’s mother is late while her father is in a remote community in Plateau
State.
Joseph
said the expectant girl has been extremely sad about her condition.
“My
sister is a very hardworking girl, who just wanted a better life for herself.
She is not afraid to work at all. After the man kicked her out of his house,
she was afraid of telling us about what he did. We had to look for another job
for her as a housemaid somewhere else. It was there that it was discovered that
she was pregnant when her tummy had started growing,” Joseph said.
A
source close to the case told our correspondent that Husseini had agreed that
when Rhoda is delivered of her baby, if the child bears his foreign
physical features, he would readily accept the baby. But if not, he would opt
for a DNA test.
Zonal
Commander of NAPTIP, Mr. Joseph Famakin, explained the journey so far on the
case.
He
explained that the agency gathered through its investigation and interview of
the parties that they indeed had sexual contact a number of times.
Famakin
said, “It is not in my place to say whether it was rape or not. The police will
determine that. She was first taken to Immigration before she was brought to
us.
“In
her report to Immigration, she claimed that she was raped until she became
pregnant. After the pregnancy, they had a disagreement and she left the place
and secured a job in another place where she worked for three months until they
realised she was pregnant. They asked her to go.
“The
Lebanese man said that he indeed had sexual intercourse with her but that he is
not responsible for the pregnancy. When the Immigration learnt that the man is
legally resident in Nigeria, they brought the girl to us.
“We
realised that we had the responsibility to save the lady and her unborn child.
Then, we put her in our shelter, so that she could get counselling and we could
investigate. At the end of our investigation, if a case of trafficking is
proved, we would take the man to court. If a case of rape is proved, we would
refer it to the police.”
Famakin
said Rhoda had been in the agency’s shelter for two months.
He
also said that with the assistance of Husseini, Rhoda was registered for
ante-natal.
According
to him, the agency could not establish any evidence of trafficking in the case
because it was one of Rhoda’s brothers who took her to the Lebanese man on
agreement that he would pay for her services.
He
said, “We have called both parties and the Lebanese man has agreed to take care
of her until she delivers. He said if the child is black, he would do a DNA
test before he accepts the child but if the baby is white, he would thank God
for giving him a miracle.
“Our
shelter is a temporary place of residence but the brother erroneously believes
that the girl should stay with us till she delivers. We have done everything in
the best interest of the girl and her baby. The Lebanese man was detained by us
for days before he was able to produce a reasonable surety.”
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