Medical Director of a fertility clinic in Lagos, Sayemi Naturescience Centre is facing a police trouble over an alleged rape against a housewife.
The doctor (name withheld) was alleged to have had carnal knowledge of one of his patients, a housewife, on Saturday April 9, 2016 at one of his centers in Ikeja area of Lagos State.
The housewife, Mrs. Funke (other names withheld) made the allegation in her statement at the police station few days after the encounter, hoping that she would get justice.
She alleged that the Doctor used a medical instrument called transducer, which is usually inserted inside the vagina and moved around slightly while ultrasound images are shown on screen.
According to her, she was convinced that the method would allow the doctor have a good view of her womb to ascertain if anything was wrong. The instrument which has the shape of the penis, she alleged, was inserted into her vagina but she never knew when the doctor withdrew the instrument and inserted his own penis inside her until he was about to ejaculate.
Although this might sound like a fairy tale, the victim insisted she never consented to the act. Battling to control her tears, Mrs. Funke said that it was her quest to conceive that landed her in trouble.
In her words: “I have a 24 year old son and ever since, all efforts to get pregnant had failed. I have visited different hospitals and prayed endlessly for God to remember me. Luckily, I have an understanding husband who stood by me all these years.
“I knew that I had to do anything possible to ensure that there are children in the house. “This was how I picked interest in any programme that talks about fertility. Early in the month, I watched a health programme organized by the Doctor who is the founder of Sayemi Natural Science Centre, Ikeja.
“During the programme, he explained that he had a natural way through which he could heal infertility. I was impressed and I decided to visit his clinic when he explained that my problem could be solved through dieting.
“Last Saturday, with the consent of my husband, I decided to pay him a visit. I bought their clinic card for N2000 and waited for my turn.
When I finally saw the doctor, I narrated my medical history and all the efforts that I had made to conceive. He assured me that his clinic would be my last bus stop but he would need to access my body through vaginal scan.
“I knew what vaginal scan meant. Immediately, I stretched my body on the table for examination. Normally, you were expected to lie down and spread your legs widely apart. I trusted the doctor, so I never queried his method.
“He applied cream on my vagina and inserted the instrument used by doctors for normal vaginal scan. The only odd thing he did was to touch my clitoris and I tried to resist and he told me to calm down that this was a perfect process of inducing my hormones so that he could access my body well.
“At that point, I relaxed very well, closed my eyes and spread my legs because my focus was to get solution.
“At a point, he removed the equipment and inserted it again but this time, it was much bigger. I believed that it was as a result of him fondling with my clitoris that made me to get carried away to the point that I could not tell that the stuff that was bigger inside me was actually his penis.
“It was the noise he made when he was about to ejaculate that drew my attention and I opened my eyes and lo and behold, he was actually having sex with me instead of the scan.”
Shocked, Mrs. Funke claimed that she quickly wore her pants and asked the doctor why he took advantage of her.
“I was shocked as well as embarrassed. I was terrified because I could not understand if this was the process. He quickly removed the condom and threw into the waste basket and started begging me to forgive him and allow him to proceed with the treatment. I left his office and complained to the nurse who was on duty and she said that it is not a new thing that the man is used to sleeping with most of his patients.
“She asked me to forgive him that she would find a way to get the hospital compensate me so that the matter would be closed.”
When asked why she did not scream or attack the doctor when she discovered what happened, Mrs. Funke said that her main concern was to get out of the place safe.
“When I discovered what he did, I was terrified because I could not understand why he did that to me. I have heard of how people mysteriously die and my main concern was to leave his office alive, that was why I complained bitterly to the nurse.
“When I got home, I told my husband what I went through and he asked me to formally report to the police. Heaven knows that I did not consent to the act. I only had faith in the doctor that he knew what he was doing,” she claimed.
She begged the police to assist her to get justice.
“I am legally married and I am blessed with a great husband. That was why I confided in him. He was the one who encouraged me to be bold enough to report the matter to the police so that such a crime would not continue.”
A person who answered the phone call in the hospital admitted that he was the Medical Director and queried if his accuser was not conscious or drugged when the alleged act took place.
He thanked the reporter and assured that he would sort out the problem as soon as possible to avoid any scandal.
When the Doctor was called again on his mobile phone number at about 1.27pm on Thursday to react in details to the allegation, he initially feigned ignorance but later said he had no comment to make.
Some women who heard Funke’s story pleaded with the Police to use her case as an example for other doctors who are in the habit of sleeping with their female patients.
One of such women is Mrs. Vivian Agu who said that her gynecologist in a popular hospital around HRC Enugu fondled her breast when she was eight months pregnant.
“I started bleeding at eight months of my pregnancy and my doctor sent me for a scan at the said hospital. When I got there, being my first time, I obtained a card and was sent to see a doctor before the scan. “When I got to him, he asked my name which I gave to him. The next thing, he started fondling my breast and I was just watching. At a point, he asked if I was not feeling horny and I told him that I did not even know that he was touching my breast. He told me that I was a strong woman as so many women at that point, used to plead with him to have sex with them. I asked him why he was doing it and he told me that he needed to access the fluid that would come out of nipples so he could write his report before I went for the scan. I did the scan and left. I felt that was the process until I became pregnant again, I was sent for another scan but this time around, I had it at Enugu Scan Centre and when it got to my turn, the doctor just did the scan he never touched my breast. I asked him why he did not touch my breast and he told me that it had nothing to do with the scan. “It was then I narrated my experience with the other doctor and he told me that the doctor was promiscuous.”
Another victim, Bola recalled that she went through hell for 17 years waiting for the fruit of the womb.
“I was desperate to get a child and was ready to go to any hospital or prayer house. One day, my husband’s friend referred me to a doctor and told me that he would be my last bus stop. I was excited and followed him. The so-called doctor asked me to bend down and remove my pants, that he wanted to examine my vagina from behind.
“I discovered that he was robbing a cream on my clitoris and I kept quiet because I thought it was the procedure. “Meanwhile, I was very vigilant because in the course of my childlessness, I had never experienced such. Suddenly, he brought out his penis and was about to insert it in my vagina when I shouted. I ran out of the office screaming. That was the last time and I swore I would never visit any place that is not a good hospital. And as God would have it, am blessed with three daughters today.
“Women go through a lot all in the name of making babies. No sane woman would boldly tell her husband or friends that her doctor or even pastor slept with her.”
Reacting to the incident, a lawyer, Emmanuel Eke said the victim needs to be very convincing, giving no space for the accused to evade justice if he is indeed guilty.
“The truth is that in Africa, it is hard to prove a rape case. This is an uphill task. Medical examination is important here and I do not know whether that is possible within the space that she reported the incident. But winning is not the only issue. It is worth seeking for justice. She may be believed empirically but may not be believed legally. “Most importantly, that will stop the doctor from trying such out on another person. He is quite aware that he has a record with the police. I commend the lady who was bold enough to report the matter.”
When contacted on the incident, the state Police spokesperson, Dolapo Badmus said the command is already aware of the case and would act accordingly.

Source: Saturday Sun. [myad]

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has announced that it would soon publish the list of most corrupt ministries, department and agencies in Nigerian.
It also announced the ongoing arrest of civil servants who live beyond their means.
The Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ekpo Nta, who made these known when was addressing participants of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies at the Abuja headquarters of the agency said: “we are developing scorecard like Transparency International which rates countries as to the level of corruption of countries.
“We have developed one for ministries departments and agencies. Hopefully, we know those who will take the first prize.”
Nta added that once the 2016 Budget is passed, the ICPC would begin to monitor how monies are being spent.
Speaking on the theme, ‘The role of the ICPC in the War Against Corruption: Mandate, Strategies and Challenges’, the ICPC boss said that the commission had started prosecuting public servants that live beyond their means.
“From one of the employees of one of the organisations, we seized about 61 or 62 houses in an estate. The matter is in court so I can’t say too much but I want to say that the officer was not a man. We do prosecution but also try to seize the assets acquired (through corrupt means) so that apart from prosecution, we can strip you of the assets within and outside the country.”
Nta said that the ICPC is also investigating university lecturers who demand sex from female students in return for good grades.
He said that even though it is the role of the police to investigate cases of sexual harassment and rape, it is also the role of the ICPC to investigate cases bordering on abuse of office.
“We have special teams that investigate universities here. Quite a number of students that have spent more than the statutory period, like young girls who have spent eight years for a four-year programme because they refused to do what should not be done. We got involved and they have graduated and we are still looking at the possibility of prosecution.” [myad]

A Federal High Court in Abuja has accused the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, of abusing court process, saying that Saraki’s fears that he would not get justice at the Code of Conduct Tribunal was speculative, misplaced and had no place in law.

Saraki had challenged his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal as a breach of his fundamental human right.
In his judgment today, Friday, Justice Abdulkadiri Kafarati, said that he based his decision on the preliminary objection of the Federal Government against Saraki’s suit.
He agreed that it was too early for Saraki to have brought the issue of fundamental rights to fair trial when the tribunal had not concluded its findings on the falsification of assets charges brought against him.
Kafarati also held that the applicant was wrong in raising the issue of fundamental rights to seek nullification of trial when in the real sense his case did not fall within Chapter 4 of 1999 Constitution.
According to the judge, the CCT is a competent tribunal, which derives its powers from the CCT Act and it has the powers to try criminal matters.
He said that the prayer four which the plaintiff said was politically motivated was sentimental, adding that sentiments had no basis in law.
The judge also held that this court would not interfere with the constitutional duty of the respondents in the case as doing so would amount to ruling the constitution.
Kafarati agreed with the submission of Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) that Saraki’s case constituted a gross abuse of court process.
He said this was so because he had already taken the same case to the Federal High Court, Lagos, Court of Appeal and even the Supreme Court, where decisions were made against him.
Kafarati, therefore, upheld the preliminary objection of the Federal Government to the case and he subsequently dismissed the case, saying there was no need to go into the substantive matter.
Saraki was arraigned by the Federal Government on a 13 count-charge bordering on false assets declaration and money laundering before the CCT.
Saraki, through his lawyer, Raphael Oluyede, claimed in the suit that he could not get justice from the tribunal Chairman, Danladi Umar, because he was being investigated by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. [myad]

The All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State asked the federal government to charge Governor Ayodele Fayose for sedition as he reportedly wrote to the Chinese government not to grant President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for a $2 billion loan for development purposes.
The party which argued that President Buhari’s initiative is in tandem with other countries of the world that are engaged in bilateral arrangements for development purposes, insisted that Fayose’s conduct amounted to national sabotage and seditious conduct that must not be allowed to go unchallenged.

In a statement, the party’s Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, called on the security agencies to check Fayose treasonable and seditious activities. He urged them to open their books to address the party’s claim that the governor was a security risk to Nigeria.
“We also urge the Nigeria Medical Association to conduct medical check on Fayose for psychosis because no other science can explain why he is conducting himself in a manner that suggests that he has lost his sanity.”

The party’s spokesman regretted that the governor got himself busy spending Ekiti State money on frivolities, while workers’ salaries remained unpaid for four months.
“As we speak, doctors are on strike and Ekiti people are dying while the governor gets himself busy with the activities that will lead to evasion of justice in his several alleged criminal cases so that he can protect his questionable wealth across the world. Even though he has the right to entertain himself being a jester as he has always been, this should not be taken to the extent of constituting a security risk to the Federal Republic.
“While other PDP governors, notably Governor Ayade of Cross River State, are always in Aso Rock on building relationship with the Federal Government for the development of their states, Fayose has made himself a lone enemy of the Federal Government as a self-appointed leader of the opposition to discredit Buhari’s development initiatives.”
Olatunbosun wondered why a governor that is borrowing money for capital projects with the backing and approval of the Federal Government was opposed to the Federal Government doing same for the same purpose.
The APC spokesman noted that all countries of the world had become inter-dependent, assisting one another in areas of their weaknesses to achieve their development goals and objectives.
Olatunbosun said: “All countries of the world borrow to finance their development goals, the US, UK, Japan, Germany and China are no exceptions.
“With the position of China as the second biggest economy in the world today, no country can ignore that Asian giant, and so it is in the interest of Nigeria to work with China in bilateral relations for development and technological issues that go with adequate funding.
“Unfortunately, Fayose sees nothing good in this initiative that has potential to grow our economy for the benefit of all Nigerians but prefers pursuing motives to amass wealth through misapplication of the state’s funds while Ekiti people suffer.”
Noting that he expected Nigerians in the southern part of the country to support all efforts that can make the Calabar-Lagos rail a reality, Olatunbosun expressed dismay that Fayose was opposed to a loan that would make that dream a reality to ease transportation burden among Nigerians, notably his South West people.
“It is regrettable that while Fayose is pursuing his personal interests and causing distractions over his sundry allegations of crimes in courts to evade justice, he is sabotaging Nigeria’s interests through seditious activities to compound Nigeria’s woes.”
Fayose had on Wednesday written to the government of China urging President Xi Jinping not to approve a $2 billion loan to implement development component of the 2016 national budget
He sent the letter through his emissary to the Chinese Embassy in Abuja, while he personally took a copy of the letter to Shanghai to be delivered to the Chinese President. [myad]