Ogun sex scandal: Disabled woman’s pregnancy aborted

By SEGUN OLATUNJI, Abeokuta and REMI ADEFULU, Lagos

THE 33-year-old physically chal­lenged mother of four, Tope Ogun­toye who had last week alleged that a traditional ruler, Olofin of Ilishan, Oba Michael Mojeed Sonuga im­pregnated her may have been forced to abort the pregnancy.
Sunday Sun gathered that Tope was taken to a private hospital (names withheld) penultimate Saturday where the pregnancy was allegedly terminated.
It was learnt that the alleged termination of the pregnancy followed intense pressure mounted on Tope’s family by a group of five powerful indi­genes of the town from one of the ruling houses in Ilishan.
Tope had in an interview with our correspondent in her Ilishan home claimed that Oba Sonuga was responsible for her three-month-old pregnancy.
The mother of four, who had alleged that the monarch had sex with her on two different occasions, claimed that he usually enticed her with money while the affair with Oba Sonu­ga lasted.
Tope had also alleged that the monarch recently gave her the sum of N2,000 to pay for an abortion of the pregnancy.
She had claimed that when she informed Oba Sonuga of the alleged pregnancy, the monarch begged her to keep the matter secret in order not to disgrace him.
But the septuagenarian monarch had since denied impregnating Tope. In a statement signed on his behalf by the Chairman, Ilishan Development association (IDA), Dr. Waheed Osinowo, Oba Sonuga distanced himself from the allega­tion.
He said: “Ordinarily, I would not have reacted to the allegation but for the fact that my silence may be misconstrued by those who may not know me and what I stand for.
“In all my years as a lawyer, even in the United Kingdom, I have always stood up for all that is good and lawful and this remains an integral part of me till date.”
When he spoke with Sunday Sun reporter, the monarch had said that the alleged rumour about the affair between him and the physically challenged woman was the handiwork of his opponents and detractors who wanted to frame him.
Although the monarch admitted to have always assisted the woman financially, he had insisted that he had been treating Tope like his own daughter.
His words: “I am bewildered by this development. The father of the lady was my playmate when we were growing up. I’m sure that you (referring to the reporter) saw an imbecile called Eba in front of my palace while coming. I can’t drive them away because they are all my subjects.
“I even paid half of the medical bill of that lady when she deliv­ered her last child and the family couldn’t pay. Her husband comes here and I give him money.”
Efforts by Sunday Sun to confirm the veracity of the alleged abortion from the hospital proved abortive as our correspondent was not granted audience by the staff of the hospital.
Oba Sonuga pointed the finger at Alhaji Ade Gbadamosi, whom he accused of being desperate to be in­stalled as the Balogun of the town. He noted that it was his predecessor, the late Oba Fredrick Fujamade, who removed Gbadamosi from the position, following the judgment of the Sagamu High Court on Novem­ber 25, 2008.
The monarch said: “I have told him as a lawyer that it will be con­temptuous to install him as Balogun in view of the court judgment and offered to give him another title but he refused. His intention is to divide and destroy the town.”
Gbadamosi, however, dissociated himself from the issue, declaring that he only got involved when Tope sought his assistance on the matter.
Explaining his role in the preg­nancy saga, he said: “Many people in Ilishan come to me for all forms of assistance. When this lady came to me to say the Oba impregnated her, I told her to go and inform her mother, but she refused to leave. I had no option than to call in the po­lice who came to take her away and I learnt she even made statements to the police. The Oba is only accusing me wrongly. Anything he doesn’t have control over, he ascribes to me. I am a very busy person and I can’t be creating trouble because I have businesses here. If I cause trouble, how will my businesses flourish?”
He gave the reporter a copy of The Punch newspaper of December of 2013, which reported a story with the headline “Ogun Monarch Petitions Police over Threat to Peace.” According to the story, Oba Sonuga had petitioned the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Christopher Ola to report Gbada­mosi over threat to peace in Ilishan. Gbadamosi said the newspaper report proved that the Oba had erro­neously seen him as a troublemaker in the community.
“I never asked him for a title and I never said I wanted to be Oba. I am too busy doing many things,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sunday Sun gathered that the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ikenne who was said to have taken Tope to the police station where she was instructed not to bow to pressure to terminate the pregnancy, has since been transferred.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ogun State Police Command, Muyiwa Adejobi said he was not aware of the matter.
Adejobi, a deputy superintendent of police, said the new Divisional Police Office in Ikenne had just resumed duty in the division, and promised to contact the reporter on the matter but as at the time of filing this report, the police spokesman had not yet done so.