Special Adviser to Cross River State Governor on Biodiversity, Edet Okon Asim, is now in police custody for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old girl (names withheld), for three years running and causing her to have three abortions for him. The girl, a student of the Federal Government Girls College, Calabar, was allegedly lured into an illicit relationship with the former commissioner, who was said to be dating her mother.
The relationship with the teenager, however, resulted into two previous abortions. However, the third abortion, which was said to have been with the knowledge of her mother, whose name was simply given as Madam Stella, allegedly damaged her uterus, development that has brought the matter into public glare.
The 15-year-old girl has been hospitalised in Calabar due to complications from the third abortion. It was further gathered that Stella, who was Asim’s mistress, had consented to the relationship between him and her daughter. Stella has also been arrested.
A source, who did not wish to be named, disclosed that Stella was married to a popular Calabarbased pastor, now late, who was a good friend to Asim. Stella had two children for the deceased clergyman; the first one happened to be the victim, while the second is a boy. Not long after the pastor died, the source added, Stella went into a relationship with Asim, a former Cross River State Commissioner for Information, whom she called her “Destiny Saver.”
The victim’s mother, who is said to be a caterer, maintains apartments in Uyo and Calabar where the victim stays. It was further alleged that Stella warned her daughter not to reveal the incident or her present predicament to anyone. After the third abortion had been carried out by a quack, her womb became perforated.
The girl’s teacher, whose name was shielded, was said to have found out and shared the story on a WhatsApp group where human rights activist and the founder of Project Alert, a non-governmental organization (NGO), which specializes in handling such cases, Mrs. Josephine Chukwuma, is a member. Chukwuma was said to have swung into action and contacted the Basic Rights Council Initiative founded by child rights activist, Barrister James Ibor.
The police were eventually contacted, leading to the arrest of Asim and Stella. Asim and Stella, according to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Irene Ugbo, would be moved from the Airport Division, where the case was reported, to the state command at Diamond Hill, Calabar. When our correspondent called the PPRO to confirm the matter, she said: “Yes, they are in our custody. They are still writing their statements.
Edet Okon Asim and a woman were dating and later the man started dating the woman’s daughter. Before now, the victim has done two abortions for the man. The woman seems to have been using her daughter to collect money from the man. This is the third abortion and there was a complication.
The case was reported at the Airport Police Station. We are going to transfer the case to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigations Department (SCII).” Josephine Effah-Chukwuma, who took to her Facebook page to talk about the case, said: “Another young child is in hospital in Calabar now struggling for her dear life as a result of repeated sexual abuse and abortion by her mother on behalf of her boyfriend. “There is definitely a special hell on earth and heaven for mothers who look the other way while their husbands, boyfriends and men friends sexually abuse their daughters. Such women are guiltier than the men.
“ProjectAlert Vaw is on top of this case with James Ibor, the Executive Director of Basic Rights Initiative, a child rights NGO based in Calabar. We are sending a petition to the Inspector- General of Police, because we suspect that being a politician, the suspect will be pressing all the buttons on his phones now. “The child is a student of FGGC, Calabar, and so we use this opportunity to call on FGGC Old Students Association to rise up to the occasion in ensuring justice for this child. Project Alert and Basic Rights Initiative are currently picking up the medical bills of this child.”
The story, which was also on CrossRiverWatch online, states: “A former local government chairman of Calabar Municipal and Special Adviser to Governor Ben Ayade on Biodiversity, Edet Okon Asim, is currently in police custody for continuously defiling an under-aged girl (names withheld) for a period spanning about three years.
“The girl is said to have been coerced into aborting two pregnancies for Mr.Asim with consent from her mother and has damaged her uterus while carrying out a third abortion earlier this year before the matter became public. Stella has been seeing Mr. Asim and kept calling him, her “Destiny Saver.” “The relationship has been going on for years and when her daughter began developing feminine features, Asim is said to have taken interest and she often visited the former council boss for holidays and in the company of her mother where they most times, stay for lengthy number of days.
The victims’ mother is said to have kept warning her against opening up and collaborated with the suspect in the serial abuse. The victim got pregnant twice and aborted with the help of her mother and Mr. Asim who always bore the financial brunt ,And after the third abortion which is said to have been carried out by a quack, her womb became perforated.”
A source said: “I would want us to pause, take a step back and revisit Ochanya’s case as I just got to know that politicians in the state are trying to kill it. They are now saying Ochanya died of malaria. It is my hope that FIDA Benue and everyone on ground there have all loose ends tied.
“Another one has broken in my home state of Cross River. She’s also 15 years old and a student of FGGC, Calabar. The perpetrators are her widowed mother and her boyfriend, who is a politician and a former commissioner in the state. She is not dead, but currently very sick in hospital as her womb, I learnt, has been perforated due to a quack abortion her mother took her to do, to cover up for her lover boy.”
