JULIANA FRANCIS 
Investigative Reporter, JULIANA FRANCIS, in continuation of her series on Kosarachi, chronicles the latest conspiracies, corruption and deliberate pervasion of justice in the case of the 10-year-old child, who was trafficked into domestic servitude by her supposed parents and then repeatedly brutalised by her employer, Mrs Ifeoma Okoye
- We were misled by Church, gave child out in error, laments MYSD
- Falana Chambers petitions CP Lagos to arrest Reverend Sister, second party
Shocking discoveries
Latest shocking discoveries among others, is that while everyone was waiting for the conclusion of investigation and get justice for the minor, the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD), conspired with the Police, to secretly hand Kosarachi to those that trafficked her, without recourse to arresting her abusive employer, Mrs Ifeoma Okoye, carrying out a DNA or contacting other parties involved in the case.
When Mr Ishola Olanrewaju Olawale was the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, this reporter sent two Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to him, demanding to know why Ifeoma Okoye, was yet to be arrested.
The FoI also sought to understand why no one at the Christ Holy Church International has been arrested for aiding the escape of Okoye from Lagos State, thereby evading arrest, and depriving Kosarachi of justice.
Following Ishola’s snubbing of the two FoI requests, the investigation experienced spell, with child rights advocates, especially Advocates For Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN), Religious Sisters Of Charity, Justice Development And Peace Centre, and DOHS Cares Foundation firmly believing that Gender Unit, Ikeja, Lagos State Police Command, was still investigating the matter.
Earlier, Kosarachi, who is also caught in the middle of a paternity war between two couples, has been moved out of the Police Shelter at Alaka by the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD), into its shelter somewhere in Badagry.
The MYSD and the Police, apparently believing that everyone had forgotten the case, went to the government shelter, spirited the child out of the shelter and handed her over to the church, who in turn handed her over to her supposed biological parents, Mr and Mrs Chikodi, knowing fully well that the child paternity was still in dispute.
Lagos Ministry
This reporter learned that the handing over, without due process, was done by one Mrs Mordi of the Family Social Services, Igando LDCA, Alimosho, Lagos.
Mordi, together with some members of the church, went to court and hurriedly carried out the injustice, without recourse to human rights lawyers and child protection advocates who had been doggedly following up the case.
She reportedly later said, “We gave the child to the Chikodis in error. The church, Christ Holy Church International, misled us. We didn’t know that two families were fighting over the paternity of the girl.”
This statement also turned out to be a lie, for Mrs Mordi, while the case was still at its early stage, visited Religious Sisters of Charity, where she was told about the metamorphosis of the case.
The Religious Sisters of Charity is the first child protection agency to step into the matter after seeing a viral video of the battered minor. Reverend Sister Justina Nelson works with them.
Nelson of Religious Sisters Of Charity, who, like other child advocate groups, was among the complainants, revealed that before the case slowed, the Lagos Police Gender Unit had insisted it needed to speak to the other couple, Mr Nweke Odinaka and Stella Odinaka, who were the second claimant to the paternity of Kosarachi, who are based in Rivers State. This happened in 2024.
In 2025, it was discovered that Kosarachi had returned to the Southeast with her supposed biological parents, Mr and Mrs Chikodis, without child rights groups being any the wiser.
In March 2025, Nelson went to the Gender Unit, asking to know about the ongoing investigation. She explained that the second couple, the Odinakas, who were claimants, were now ready to journey to Lagos from Rivers State for a police interview.
They had been petrified of continuing to pursue the case due to alleged consistent threats from the other party. The Police were initially shocked to see Nelson after believing that the case was over, and then threatened to arrest and detain her for allegedly absconding.
It took the intervention of a woman lawyer, Mrs Abiodun, to frustrate the attempt to arrest and detain Nelson by the Police Gender Unit.
This reporter tracked Nelson to her office, where she narrated thus: “The female IPO started screaming that I should be arrested and detained, the human rights lawyer, Abiodun, who came with me, challenged them, asking why.”
According to the Police, they had been calling Nelson, but they were reminded that one lawyer, Emmanuel Obiyan, was already standing in for Nelson and Kosarachi.
Further information showed that Obiyan has been interacting with the police, said Nelson. Nelson recalled: “Lawyer Abiodun, human rights activist Theresa Igata of Justice Development And Peace Centre, were with me on that fateful day.
We went to see OC Gender Toyin Kazeem, who insisted again that we must come with the Odinakas. So, on March 29, we went to Port Harcourt.
“The honourable, who connected me to the Odinakas, instructed his P.A., Prince Chioma Nwala, to take us to the couple. When we got to Odufor, we were first brought to the compound of Odinaka’s uncle, Mr Eze Nweke.
“When the couple came, Stella Odinaka disclosed that the Chikodis had been threatening them, including threatening them with juju and that many people advised them to forget about the case and the child.
They took the threats seriously because in Rivers State, according to them, ‘‘once someone threatens you, you will find his or her corpse some days later in the street, and that would be the end of the matter.”
Odinakas’ story
On April 7, 2025, the Odinakas, Nwala, and Igata went to the Police Gender Unit in Ikeja. This reporter decided to join the group incognito. The group got there at about 10am, but were attended to by past 2pm.
The first interview was conducted by the Principal IPO, Inspector Ekpo, who ordered Odinaka to leave the interrogation room; he did not want him to coach his wife, Stella Odinaka, on what to say. Theresa Igata was also asked to step out.
Stella Narrated: “Some years ago, I went to the market, leaving my son and daughter in the care of my other daughter, who was eight years old, and they were both stolen.
“I returned from the market that day to see a crowd in front of our compound. My eightyear-old daughter told us that a woman took the two children. We started looking for them, we took their pictures to churches, police stations and Ray Power Radio, all to no avail.”
Ekpo asked her if she would be able to produce their birth certificates. Stella replied that she gave birth at home, and when Ekpo asked for pictures, she said the pictures were exhausted while they were searching for the children; they distributed all the pictures they have of them.
When Stella could not find her stolen children, she gradually moved on. Fast track to 2024. She said: “I was on my farm when Prince Chioma Nwala came with a video (video of Kosarachi, receiving treatment after being battered by Ifeoma Okoye and answering questions) and I told him that the child was my son.”
After the interview with Ekpo, this reporter also interviewed Stella, who said: “Yes, I am very sure of what I said about my missing children, there was no mistake.
“When Prince Chioma came to the farm to show me the video, I said the child was my son because she looked like the boy-child, looking haggard and with hair shaven, it was when we got to Lagos that I discovered that it was the girl-child, Emmanuella.”
Some minutes later, after the group left Ekpo’s office, they were told that the OC Gender, Toyin Kazeem, wanted to see them. The group was asked to drop all handbags and phones outside the OC’s office.
During the interview, the issue of DNA to ascertain the real parents of Kosarachi was brought up. The OC Gender was also told that an NGO had paid to Afriglobal, a reputable laboratory in Lagos State to carry out the testing.
But Kazeem kicked against it, stressing that DNA could only be carried out at a forensic lab approved by the Police and only that laboratory result, from a laboratory picked by the Police will be accepted in court.
It was at this point that Nwala asked the OC Gender why bother with all the drama when the child had already been secretly handed over to the Chikodis.
Twists and turns
OC Gender insisted that she was not aware that Kosarachi, who was in the Lagos State Government Shelter, had been given to the Chikodis by one Mrs Mordi, in charge of Family Social Services, Igando – LDCA, Alimosho, Lagos, under the Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD).
It was also gathered that Mordi is the social worker in charge of Kosarachi at the Shelter. Incidentally, Stella disclosed that she would not have known any better that Kosarachi was already handed over to the other couple without a DNA to determine the paternity if not that the Chikodis went about boasting about it.
“The Odinakas did not even want to follow the Reverend Sister Justina to Lagos to respond to the calls of the Police Gender Unit, because they said there was no longer any need since Kosarachi had been given to the Chikodis,” said Igata.
This reporter learnt that the first time the group heard about the child being handed over secretly to the Chikodis, they had gone to OC Gender, to ask about the ongoing investigation and the child, she reportedly replied: “The girl is still with Sanwo-Olu and SanwoOlu is taking care of her.”
Nelson said: “At that time, lawyer Abiodun told OC Gender that since the Odinakas were available, their specimen should be collected and the DNA done, so that when the Chikodis come, their specimen would also be collected for their DNA.
The OC Gender promised to write that the child should be brought, but the Gender Unit never got back to us.” Nelson said that sometimes in May 2025, Mordi called, apologising that she was misled by the Christ Holy Church International and made to take the matter to court without notifying other parties and then gave the child to the other party.
Nelson, however, said that Mordi was lying. Nelson recounted: “In 2024, when this case started, Mordi, with another person, came to see me, with Kosarachi. She said that she came to know the office and organisation that was instrumental in rescuing the child.
“I took time to explain about the girl being trafficked, physically abused by her madam and how two couples were now fighting over her paternity.
After the interview, Mordi said she and her partner would be heading to Christ Holy Church International to speak with the Chikodis.
She said that later, she would invite us with the Chikodis for a meeting, but we never heard from her; rather, we got information that Kosarachi had been handed over to the Chikodis.”
When it was realised that the cat had been let out of the bag, MYSD asked that Kosarachi should be quickly returned to Lagos State.
Latest findings is that Mordi has promised to go to court and asked that the case, which was earlier concluded, leading to Kosarachi being handed over to the Chikodis, be reopened.
On May 16, 2025, Mordi sent a terse SMS to Nelson, which reads: “Dear Sir/Ma, Re: Kasarachi Chikordi; I am directed to inform you that, following recent developments on this matter, the child’s case has been relisted in the Family Court 2 Ogba hence, you are expected to be present in court (Family Court 2 Ogba, Ikeja) on Wednesday 11th June, 2025 at 9am prompt.
Thank you.” The matter is now domiciled at Family Court 2, Ilori, Ogba. On June 11, 2025, all the parties met at the court, including the magistrate, where it was agreed that a DNA test should be carried out.
It was further agreed that since an NGO had already paid for the DNA at Afriglobal, that it should be done there. It was further agreed that since the Chikodis were around, theirs should be first done, while the Odinakas should be done when they are in Lagos.
Igata said, “We all arrived at this agreement at the court, and then we left. Suddenly, Ekpo called us back, saying that the magistrate was calling us, that the laboratory for the DNA had been changed, and that it had to be the Lagos forensic.
Only Almighty God knows what transpired after we left to cause that sudden change.” Incidentally, when Nelson got to court on that day, the Christ Holy Church International served her a copy of petition, addressed to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, asking for investigation and prosecution in the case of Kosarachi, citing allegations of fraud, defamation and abuse of legal process.
Entry of Falana
Another twist was also introduced to the unscripted drama, with the entry of Falana and Falana Chambers as the new legal representatives of Christ Holy Church International.
It is ironic, because Falana Chambers is one of the partners of ACVPN, known for fighting for the vulnerable, always in the trenches with ACVPN. ACVPN is part of those child protection groups fighting to get justice for Kosarachi.
The Falana Chambers Petition, signed by David Osondu, reads in part: “Approximately eight months ago, a minor, Kosarachi Chikodi, was subjected to a brutal beating by an individual who had taken the child from her biological parents in Owerri, Imo State.”
However, it is important to stress that Kosarachi was given out as domestic staff by her supposed mother and maternal aunt for exploitative purposes, and Madam Ifeoma Okoye, who battered her, was a member of the church, Another part of the petition demanded that the Commissioner of Police should immediately; “apprehend Reverend Sister Justina Nelson and the individuals claiming to be the biological parents of Kosarachi Chikodi.”
This reporter, on June 6, 2025, wrote two Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, one to the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development and the second to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.
Both FoI requests reads: “Under the Freedom of Information Act, 2011, we hereby apply for confirmation of allegations of human rights abuses perpetrated against a 10-year-old girl and shoddy investigations.
Securitynewsalert.com is an online medium dedicated to reporting security and human rights violations in Nigeria.
“Over the past months, we have been conducting an investigation focused on finding out those who trafficked and then inflicted bodily harm on the minor, hoping to hold them accountable.
“Our investigation has raised serious concerns about Gender Unit Culpability and the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD) attempting to truncate justice, allowing traffickers to escape justice and handing the child in question to one of the parents without due process.
“This is a case of child trafficking, child physical abuse, child labour, child deprivation of education and child paternity first reported at the Festac Police Station and transferred to the Police Gender Unit.
“This case involves a 10-year-old girl identified as Kosarachi, repeatedly brutalised with shoe heels by her madam, Mrs Ifeoma Okoye, who was assisted by her wealthy church, Christ Holy Church International, to flee Lagos last year, but now back, according to sources.
“The case, which started with child trafficking and maltreatment, nosedived into a paternity issue, with two families claiming to be parents of the minor. It is more concerning that this is happening in Lagos State, a State famed for protecting children and following due process.
“Specifically, we are requesting the following information: to know why the Lagos Police Gender Unit and the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD) conspired and secretly gave the child to one of the claimants (supposed parents that trafficked her) without a DNA test, which an NGO had already paid for.
“To know why the Lagos State Police Command is yet to arrest Madam Ifeoma Okoye after she inflicted injuries on a minor, who is her maid and deprived her of basic education and to know why nobody at the Christ Holy Church International, which shielded Madam Ifeoma Okoye from arrest and helped her to escape arrest, has not been held accountable.”
The FoI requests further demanded, “To know why Festac Police Division collected N220,000 from the same church for the alleged tracking and picking of Ifeoma Okoye, yet she is still at large after several months and to know why Mrs Chikodi (alleged mother of the minor) and Gift (alleged aunt of the victim), who trafficked her into domestic servitude to Lagos State from Imo State, with each collecting monthly N10,000 and N20,000 respectively from Ifeoma Okoye, were at Lagos State Police Command and were not arrested.”
It also stated that under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Lagos State Child Rights Law, Madam Ifeoma Okoye, Mrs. Chikodi, and Gift have all breached the law and should be held accountable.
The FoI mentions some relevant laws, stating: “The Child Rights Law Section 10 states: ‘Every child is entitled to respect the dignity of his person, and accordingly, no child shall be—(a) subjected to physical, mental or emotional injury, abuse, neglect or maltreatment, including sexual abuse; (b) subjected to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. “(c) subjected to attacks upon his honour or reputation; or (d) held in slavery or servitude, while in the care of a parent, legal guardian, school authority or any other person having authority for the care of the child.
“Section 14 of the CRA says that every child has the right to free, compulsory, and universal basic education, and every parent or guardian shall ensure that their child or ward attends and completes their basic school education.
“Okoye, Mrs Chikodi and Gift also breached Section 25 of CRA, which states thus, ‘Subject to this Law, no child shall be— (a) subjected to any forced or exploitative labour, or (d) employed as a domestic help outside his own home or family environment.’
“The Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administration Act (NAPTIP) in Nigeria criminalises the exploitation of humans.
Article 5 of the Act states that parties must criminalise practices that exploit humans, including sexual and labour exploitation, while Article 3(b) says that ‘consent is irrelevant if any means of trafficking are used, such as force, deception, coercion, or abduction. Even if these means are not used, it is still trafficking if a child is involved.”
No response from MYSD, Police
The Founder of ACVPN, Mr Ebenezer M. Omejalile, speaking on the unfolding drama at the MYSD, said: “It’s the child protection unit and some of the Family Social Services (FSS) officers that conspired with alleged perpetrators to hand children out without following due processes.”
He mentioned two instances where such had happened, which cases were transferred to them by ACVPN. His words: “There was a particular that has to do with a child named Victory, she was 10 years old, her aunt placed a knife on the fire and when it was hot, she used it on the body of the child, burning her.
She said that the child stole N100, which she used to buy Zobo and puff-puff. We took her to the Police Centre, Alakara, and after there, MYSD transferred her to its shelter.
“That child was released from the shelter without ACVPN knowing about it, and we were the organisation that transferred the case. It was not right to take such steps without letting ACVPN know. We aim to ensure the protection of the child.
We fight for the vulnerable and investigate cases with our resources; we should be carried along. “Another case has to do with a 13-yearold, Deborah, who got pregnant.
When the cousin heard she was pregnant, she ran to the village to bring her down to Lagos, and she then gave birth. Her cousin started maltreating Deborah because she wanted to take over her baby.
“The cousin held onto the baby and told Deborah to pay her N2million, which she said was equivalent to what she spent in taking care of her when she was pregnant, including money spent since she gave birth.
“This was when the issue came to the front burner, our staff, Harmony, took Deborah to MYSD, they took a group photograph when she was handing both mother and baby and to MYSD.
Later, MYSD secretly released Deborah and her baby to the same abusive cousin without letting ACVPN know. Later, we got information that after MYSD released Deborah to her cousin, she went missing, while the cousin took over the baby.
Right now, nobody knows whether Deborah is safe or not. “Mandated reporters should be given feedback on whatever cases are referred to such units of the ministry. It’s not the first or second time it has happened.”
It should be recalled that the second couple, the Chikodis, who were laying claims to being biological parents of Kosarachi, initially claimed that they did not have a birth certificate, but later came with one and even produced a picture, insisting that it was Kosarachi’s naming ceremony picture. However, the child in the naming ceremony picture looks to be almost a year old.
