By Amos Tauna
Ex -Students of an orphanage home, Stephens Children Home in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Southwest of the country have accused the Director, Rev. Isaac Oluwole Newton Wusu of dehumanisation, molestation and abuse.
They alleged that Rev Wusu who is their guardian torments and violates their fundamental human right under the disguise of sponsorship and scholarship by sexually violating over 20 students of the orphanage home.
Addressing newsmen in Kaduna Thursday, the national coordinator of the concerned past students of the Home, Ado Nicodemus Baggibawa stated that Stephens Children Home is an arm of the voice of the Christian Martyrs Nigeria, an affiliate of International Christian Association, ICA, established in 2000 to carter for the basic needs of children whose parents were killed during religious crisis in states like Kaduna, Plateau, Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, Borno and Adamawa.
The students called on the Federal Government, Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and relevant stakeholders to monitor the activities of these centres in the country, stressing that while some centres are established based on genuine course, several others are put in place to selfishly perpetrate acts of personal aggrandisement.
“It will also interest you to know that the first set of people to be adopted in this centre are from Kaduna State and form a significant per cent of the abused and harass population, although a lot of them are never interested in speaking out due to the fear of societal stigmatisation.
“While in the centre, our education, feeding, clothing, and shelter were catered for by donations from various sister missions overseas, who have made it possible for the Director to oversee the affairs of the institutions.
“As time pass by, we all began to notice some changes and differences in the way we are being treated especially gender wise. This arises out of the fact that the Director started taking undue advantages of the children, especially the young teenage girls by luring and showering them with gifts in disguise of being his good friends which often leads to harassment and abuse of some of them.
“It is on record that over 20 female students had been sexually violated by the accused Director. Interestingly, some of them are here today and are willing to testify on the horrific ordeal they experienced in the centre. The male students on the other hand were subjected to dehumanising and excruciating labour during the construction of some structures which were budgeted and paid for by foreign sponsors.
“However, there was a certain time when report reached the foreign sponsors on the failing state and the dehumanising practices that has eroded the centre. In 2012, some of those sponsors came to investigate the matter, however, the Director of the centre uses the staff to intimidate the victims so as to exonerate and cover his evil practices as a remedy to the survival of the centre.
“I want to draw out attention to the fact that, we do not only speak and seek justice for ourselves, we speak and seek justice for the common man, woman and child in the street of Kaduna, Nigeria, Africa and the world at large, who are constantly abused and harassed by the people who thought they can bend or buy the law at any point in time in their favour.
“We also want to bring to your notice that the situation in the centre has become more precarious due to the obvious fact that most of the foreign sponsors of the centre have stopped assisting since June 2016. Even though there is a significant help coming, the Director has made it a tactics to ensure the children in the centre are less fed while laying emphasis that we are the cause of their malnourished.
When contacted, Rev. Isaac Oluwole Newton Wusu, denied the allegations, saying he was not aware of such issues at the Home.
