According to Vanguard, The Lagos State Government, in partnership with the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) and the state Police Command, has initiated an inquiry into a reported rape incident involving a survivor named Ogochukwu Odogwu in the Lekki area of the State.
Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State DSVA, confirmed this when contacted by our Correspondent on Sunday.
“We are working with the Lagos State Police Command for the investigation and ensuring the survivor is accessing holistic support,” Vivour-Adeniyi confirmed.
She made a promise that the state government would ensure that justice is served regarding the unfortunate incident.
The Executive Director, ED Technical, ARM Pension, has been accused of forcibly adopting and sexually assaulting a 36-year-old woman named Ogochukwu Odogwu, who used to go by the name Temitayo-Omotere.
Ogochukwu Odogwu works as an HR Business Partner at ARM Pension.
She claims that she was forcibly taken by a person named Abisola Onigbogi, who works at ARM Pension, to a hotel on Mekuwen Road, off Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, where she was sexually assaulted without her consent on the night of July 18, 2024, after an office party. She was left naked with injuries to her prìvate pàrts.
In a document provided to the media, the survivor, who is a single mother of two, described how she was taken from a party organized by her office and transported several kilometers away to a hotel (whose name is being withheld) on Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos, where she was brutally raped.
“The assault took place at an undisclosed hotel on Chevron Drive, Lagos, where she woke up and found herself naked.
“During the office party, like everyone else, I had food and drinks. I mixed a small amount of Jameson whiskey with coke, which was opened by Francisca Azie at the table where I was sitting with my colleagues.
“However, as a member of the planning committee, I had to get up from my table occasionally to coordinate the food service. During those times, I entrusted my drink, food, and personal belongings to Damilola Oluyori, a colleague whom I am very friendly with.
“The last thing I remember from the party was around 7:30 am. However, Dami claimed that I told her I was feeling tipsy and couldn’t drive. So she offered to help me find a way home and asked Abisola Onigbogi, who lived in the same area as me, to give me a ride.
“I live in Femi Okunnu Phase 4 estate, Jakande Lekki. Along with the Jameson whiskey, which was about a quarter of a plastic cup, I had one cocktail from the bar. That’s the last thing I remember.
“I have no recollection of any conversations or activities after 7:30 pm.
“My entire memory was wiped out which was very unusual even for someone who is drunk excessively which I didn’t and have quite a good alcohol tolerance from precedent.
“Next thing I know I wake up and realize I am in a room fully undressed. I looked around and I realize it was a hotel. I find my clothes in a pile and my wig, my phone and my handbag.
“I checked the time and it was approximately 3am, and I felt discomfort and a sense of violation in my private parts.
“I left the room and tried to find any indication of the hotel’s name to get an idea of my location. I eventually found the name of the hotel, searched for it on Google, and discovered that it was located on Chevron Drive. I asked the receptionist and security guard for assistance in getting a taxi so I could go home.
“I also checked my WhatsApp messages and noticed that the person named Absiola, who was responsible for the incident, had sent me a message stating that he had my laptop bag and ID card. Damilola had sent me several frantic messages, expressing concern for my well-being and asking if Abisola had taken me home. I replied to her, explaining that I couldn’t remember what had happened and that it was unusual for my memory to be wiped out.
“In the morning, I tried calling Abisola twice, but he didn’t answer. I messaged him, expressing my desire to talk, and he called me shortly after. During the call, I asked him how I ended up in a hotel, as my colleagues had informed me that I was in his car and he was supposed to drop me off at my home in Lekki.
“He claimed that he had asked me for my address, but I was unable to provide a coherent response. As a result, he took me to that hotel. I further questioned why I woke up naked, and he stated that he didn’t know and had simply dropped me off and left.
“Later on, I spoke to my colleagues Damilola and Odera, as I needed to locate my car. They informed me that my car was safely parked at the office.
“Damilola also stated that she sent Abisola videos of us dancing at the party, as he had requested. However, I do not remember her taking any videos, except for some pictures we took at the beginning of the party and an 11-second video.
“Nevertheless, she shared videos with me this morning of us dancing, and another colleague was also in the video. Again, I have no memory of this. Later on Friday morning, I messaged Abisola to ask how I could retrieve my laptop bag and ID card. He informed me that he had given them to the security guards at the office to put in my car.
“After dropping off my kids at school, I returned to the hotel on Friday morning and requested to see the CCTV footage. I wanted to confirm when Abisola brought me to the hotel and if he really left after dropping me off.
“The receptionist first confirmed that he paid for the hotel room at 22:05 pm and showed me evidence. Then, she proceeded to show me the footage. In the footage, I was leaning on him, and he was holding my shoes with a hand on my back, guiding me into the hotel and the hotel room at around 15:52 pm. He was seen leaving at 17:36 pm. The time mentioned is based on the hotel’s CCTV time, which was not in West African time (WAT). The time interval was approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes that he spent in the hotel room with me.
“I called my family and informed them of this. I have had a rape kit test done at Island maternity on Friday. I made a formal report at the Ikoyi Police station on Saturday morning.”
“I have experienced pain and bruising in my intimate area. Additionally, I have officially informed my boss, who is the Head of HR, along with the Managing Director and another Executive Director being kept in the loop.
“My life has been disrupted badly. I am a single mother with two kids and my mental and physical state has been impacted by this incident and I need to take care and show up for my kids in all of this”, she narrated.
“I sent him another message on Friday morning, questioning why he didn’t ask any of my colleagues, including Dami, for my address if he truly intended to drop me off at my house. He did not respond to this. I want to clarify that I have never had any conversation with Abisola Onigbogi or given any consent to be involved with him in any personal way.
“At the party, he asked me to sit with him, but I declined and chose to sit with my colleagues whom I felt comfortable with.
“Against my will, he forcibly took me to a place I was unfamiliar with and did not want to be, and he raped me. It is extremely distressing that I couldn’t feel safe at an office event and now my entire life has been turned upside down.
“I am currently taking strong medication prescribed to me at Island Maternity, including antibiotics and HIV post-exposure prophylaxis. I have requested some time off from work to recover.
“I strongly believe that he is a serial rapist, and I may not be his first victim.
“I am requesting that Lagos state take this case up fully and this predator who has tried to ruin my life and cause me this trauma be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, he and whoever aided him.” she said.