Journalist Petitions Rights Commission over Death of 14-year-old Girl

A journalist and leader of the coalition of Gender-based Violence Responders, Lemmy Ughegbe, has filed a formal complaint against the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr. Fom Pam Joseph, over alleged threat to his life and those of members of his family, at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

He said the coalition has been critical of DCP Joseph’s role in investigating the death of Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, a 14-year-old boarding house student of Premier Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, who was raped, while a condom was left inside her uterus, which caused sepsis and led to her death on June 22, 2021.

According to him, the DCP has refused to release the medical report of her death to the police-appointed pathologist at the Maitama General Hospital, Abuja, Dr. Desmond Ike Okonkwo, which he requested as a pre-condition to conduct the autopsy in line with the global best practice.

This, the activist said, led to the stalling of the autopsy, which was scheduled for July 3, and consequently, the coalition has issued a statement alleging that the DCP’s refusal was reprehensible as well as raises suspicion as to his motive.

According to Ughegbe, “Why will he want to sit on the medical report and not release it to the policeappointed pathologist? Why is Fom Pam Joseph holding tenaciously to the medical report as though it’s a personal laurel to the detriment of further medical investigation?

‘’In what appears like a fightback, barely 24 hours to a planned rally by our coalition in Abuja to seek justice for Keren-Happuch last Friday, the DCP sent policemen to my wife’s nursery and primary school, which has no link whatsoever with the coalition, to intimidate and threaten her and the staff at the school as well as sending policemen to survey where they live.