Lagos State Government on Wednesday disclosed that it rescued a mother and two children, male and female, who were allegedly sexually abused by an unidentified man in Idumota area of the State.
The rescue operation carried out by officials of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, was in response to a media report published by the famous Gistlover blog on Saturday, 6th of June, 2020, regarding a woman with two children, a seven-year-old male and two-year-old female, on the streets of ldumota, Lagos.
Speaking on the incident, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Segun Dawodu described the occurrence as very unfortunate considering recent trending media reports on reported rape cases involving children.
He maintained that despite the increasing rate of rape cases of minors in some quarters across the State, the government remains unrelenting in its efforts to put an end to the vile act and prevent future occurrences.
“The Government is also committed to protecting and providing care to victims of any form of abuse. This has been the primary obligation of the Child Protection Unit of the Ministry of Youth and Social Development. The Ministry has been dealing with such cases on a regular basis, even before the current unfortunate trends in the media”, the Commissioner reiterated.
Dawodu appreciated the efforts of individuals and organisations involved in ensuring the care and protection of every child in Lagos State, noting that the doors of the present administration are always open for effective collaboration in fighting child abuse.
Explaining the measures taken by the Ministry which led to the rescue of the mother and two children, the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Yewande Falugba stated that as soon as the Ministry became aware of the incident, immediate action was embarked upon to rescue the children at Oniru beach, where they lived with their mother, on Sunday, 7th of June 2020, through a combined effort of the Child Protection Unit of Ministry, Police Officers and the reporter who initially challenged the woman at Idumota.
She reported that the two children believed to have been abused were taken for medical examination and treatment, adding that they are currently placed in one of the government-approved orphanages in the State for adequate care pending completion of investigations into the matter.
Falugba added that the mother of the two children, who was discovered to be mentally imbalanced, has since been taken to the State-owned rehabilitation centre for mentally challenged persons.