BEVERLY HILLS, February 16, (THEWILL) –Tarila Okah, Canadian-based daughter of the alleged mastermind of the 2010 Independence Day bomb blast, Charles Okah, has written to Justice Gabriel Kolawole, highlighting some issues relating to the suicidal attempt by her father, in respect of the charges brought before the court against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Justice Kolawole, before who Okah is being tried, alongside Obi Nwabueze, had brought the letter to the open court at the resumed trial, in which the court said, Tarila was seeking for an expeditious dispensation of justice, as regards her forthcoming marriage, urging the court to allow her father (Okah), give her hand out in marriage.
However, the prosecution counsel, Alex Iziyon, availed itself of any form of blame on an issue raised by Tarila in which she berated the long three years travail of the judicial proceedings, to which he urged her to put in mind the fact that the matter was that of public concern, as a lot of people were affected, and the long adjournments had been due to various forms of motions and applications brought in the matter.
At the resumption of the matter, the prosecuting counsel informed the court about an affidavit of compliance it filed, as regards payment for debts it owed the National Hospital, in line with the orders of the court on June 25, 2015, directing the prison doctor and chief medical director of the National Hospital, to look into Okah’s health by way of surgical operation.
The matter continued with a testimony from prosecuting witness 8 (PW 8), Ekpiwhre Efe, a medical professional at the government owned Central Hospital, Warri, Delta state who led the emergency team that evacuated victims of the Dynamite explosion, at the government house annex, venue of Vanguard newspaper’s post amnesty programme on March 15, 2012.
The court thereafter adjourned the matter to February 22, at 11:30am to enable the Nigeria Prisons Service transfer Okah to the National Hospital for check-up, and then surgical operation under the arranged security arrangements put in place.
Girls Released From Boko Haram Captivity Face Stigmatisation – UNICEF Report
Girls and women kidnapped by insurgent group, Boko Haram, face mistrust and persecution upon their return to society, says report from a new research conducted by peace-building organisation, International Alert, in conjunction with UNICEF.
Conducted in four internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, where 95 percent of all IDPs are returnees from Boko Haram camps, the research was carried out in collaboration with the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development and the International Organisation for Migration, with funding from the government of Japan.
Communities interviewed viewed returnees as “Boko Haram wives” and “annoba” (epidemics), conveying the fear they have been radicalised and, if allowed to return home, might recruit others.
In addition, the children of these returning women and girls, whose fathers are believed to be Boko Haram fighters, are perceived with acute suspicion, and while perceptions of women changed over time this did not apply to children.
This is because entrenched views among communities referred to “bad blood” transmitted to children by their biological father, placing them at risk of rejection, discrimination and potential violence in the future.
“Initially, I didn’t want to,” said one of the women victims, “but when we were rescued and counselled in the camp, I decided to keep the pregnancy… When I think of the baby that will come, it disturbs me a lot because I always ask myself this question… Will the child also behave like JAS (Boko Haram)?”
According to Kimairis Toogood, peace-building advisor for International Alert in Nigeria, “these findings show a pressing need to do more to re-integrate those returning from captivity by Boko Haram, as many of these girls already face lasting trauma of sexual violence, and being separated from their families. So, we must ensure they get all the support they need when they finally return.”
The report further notes that Boko Haram has physically abducted at least 2,000 women and girls since 2012, including more than 200 girls in 2014 from their secondary school in Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State in April 2014.
Many of those abducted have experienced sexual violence or sometimes trained to fight or encouraged to become suicide bombers, with many more women being held hostage by Boko Haram in their own local government areas as well.
“However, as rescue efforts continue by the Nigerian government and military, with many of the survivors are returning home, the perceptions of them and children born out of sexual violence by Boko Haram, as well as their integration and relocation are proving difficult,” Alert International maintains in its report.
At the same time, communities generally believe that over time relations could be rebuilt and the women and girls could gradually be accepted and trusted. But for this to happen, the women and girls would need to go through a more comprehensive rehabilitation process before returning home.
However, “there is a fear that if the needs of these survivors and returning populations are not met, these factors could add another dimension to an already complex conflict situation in North East Nigeria,” Toogood says.
Story by David Oputah
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