From Fred Itua, Abuja
Mother of late 14-year-old Keren-Happuch Aondodoo Akpagher, Mrs Vivien Akpagher, and the Coalition of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) responders, have disclosed that the post-mortem examination on the body of the deceased confirmed that she was not only raped but was also sodomized by her evasive abuser.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, on Sunday, Mrs. Akpagher and the leader of the Coalition, Lemmy Ughegbe, said the autopsy and medical report have established the incontrovertible fact that Keren-Happuch was sexually abused, declaring that no amount of propaganda by the school, would conceal the fact that she was raped and sodomized.
The duo said the autopsy found that Keren-Happuch had ‘whitish patches and excoriations on the labia majora and patulous anal opening and lax anal sphincter with hymen absent,’ which they argued is ‘a clear confirmation of sexual abuse that is rape and sodomisation of Keren-Happuch.
‘Why did Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja decide to pick and choose the part of the said autopsy report that they allowed the media to see and leave the aspect that confirmed that she was raped and sodomized?’ they asked.
Following the alleged rape of her child with a condom left inside her which infected her with sepsis and triggered her diabetic condition leading to her death on June 22, her mother, Mrs Akpagher, had lodged a complaint against Premier Academy, Lugbe at the FCT Police Command.
‘Gentlemen of the press, you know as much as we do that if the medical and autopsy report had gone against our claims that Keren was sexually abused, the police would have thrown the said reports in our faces. Instead, they are still hiding if from the victim’s families while releasing the same to the school for propaganda.
‘We have watched with dismay and consternation the unconscionable penchant of Premiere Academy, Lugbe to embark on cheap propaganda to distort established facts regarding what led to the death of our beloved Keren-Happuch.
‘Precisely on 16th of September 2021, Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja briefed the media feeding them with its diet of lies that Keren was not raped, but died of diabetes. In the media brief, the school said the autopsy report which it relied on to make the claims as to the cause of death of the 14-year-old child was made available to them by the FCT Police Command.’
However, when confronted by Mrs, Akpagher and her lawyer, Sani Izundu on claims by the school that it got the report from the FCT Command, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Mr Fom Pam Joseph, reportedly denied that he gave the school the said report it was relying on.
‘While we are aghast that the same DCP who said releasing the information to the family would compromise their investigation, immediately after, released the same autopsy report to Premiere Academy, Lugbe, Abuja, we are glad that they have given us another evidence to our claim that the FCT Command and the said school are acting in cohort to undermine efforts to fish out the rapist,’ they added.
They insisted that ‘the family of the deceased are legally and procedurally entitled to the original copy of the medical and autopsy reports and the refusal of the FCT Command to release same to the family while releasing same to the school behind a closed door as confessed by its principal.
‘It is for this reason and more that we have petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), asking him to investigate the misconduct of the FCT Police Command and transfer the case from it having been evidently compromised,’ the said.
‘We have always expressed our confidence in the person and character of the current Inspector General of Police is a fine officer who is exemplary in his discipline and conduct and would not tolerate such conduct unbecoming of police officers.
‘We are glad to notify you that the IGP has not only received our petition, he has acted on it as the case is now getting the attention of the Homicide Unit at the Force Headquarters upon the instruction of the top brass of the police.’
The family of Keren-Happuch and the coalition pledged their readiness ‘to cooperate with the Homicide Department of the Force Headquarters and support it with credible intelligence which we have regarding the matter, some of which were misused and compromised by the FCT Police Command.’
They also said they will this week file for an order of mandamus to compel the hospitals and the police to release Certified True Copies of the medical and autopsy reports to them.