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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
The family of a missing patient at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Enugu, is demanding justice after alleging that a hospital security officer raped and impregnated her before she mysteriously disappeared.
Israel Igwe, elder brother of the victim, said Blessing, 32, was admitted to the hospital on August 9, 2024, for psychiatric treatment. However, while receiving care, she was allegedly sexually assaulted by a security guard.
“One night while my sister was within the hospital premises, a security man accosted her, lured her to a corner, threatened violence and had non-consensual sexual intercourse with her.”
He said he was unaware of the assault until Blessing was already in her second trimester, when a hospital staff suggested to him to conduct a pregnancy test on her.
“The pregnancy test was thereafter conducted, and the result came out positive. At the moment, my sister is about five months pregnant. The pregnancy test result is intact and can be made available if the need be.”
He noted that the family reported the matter to the hospital management but it failed to investigate or take any action.
Israel added that he petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Kanayo Uzuegbu, which led to an attempt to arrest the suspect, but the man fled.
“With respect to the rape, I petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, in furtherance of which the culprit was to be arrested, but he absconded. Prior to this event, I petitioned the hospital and pleaded for the rape case to be investigated, but to no avail,” he said.
The situation took an even more disturbing turn when the hospital informed him that Blessing was missing.
“In a strange twist of events, in the morning hour of January 15, 2025, I received a call from the hospital informing me that my sister was missing and that my presence was urgently needed. When I got to the hospital, they gave me the hospital bill and informed me that they did not know my sister’s whereabouts.
“We have searched every nook and cranny of both my home state and Enugu State, but she is nowhere to be found. All the entreaties made to the hospital management to give any reasonable account as to my sister’s whereabouts proved futile,” he explained.
Fearing for her safety, the family is calling on authorities, security agencies, and the public to help find Blessing and ensure justice is served.
“It is discernible from the background that the life of my sister is in imminent danger. We sincerely believe as a family that the hospital has a duty of care in the circumstances and under no guise should they pass the buck to anyone else.
“It is indeed a helpless situation, and I am calling on all the relevant departments and agencies, security agents, the press, and well-meaning Nigerians to kindly rise to this occasion and save my poor sister from being lynched untimely.
“We therefore humbly urge that you explore all the options within the ambit of the law to give this matter the necessary visibility for justice to be done.”
Efforts to reach the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Ngozi Unaogu failed, as she did not pick several calls made to her phone number, 0803 … 71… Text and WhatsApp messages sent to the same number were also not responded to 36 hours after they were read.
