By Farouq Umar Khadijah
A human rights activist, Mr Sydney Godwin, on Monday led a group to submit a petition to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Abuja, calling for the enforcement of a court ruling on the custody of a child.
Speaking to newsmen after submitting the petition, Godwin said the action was not intended as a prosecution but a humanitarian appeal seeking the implementation of a valid court judgment relating to the child’s custody.
According to him, the petition has also been submitted to relevant authorities, including agencies responsible for human rights and women affairs, to ensure enforcement of the court’s decision.
He expressed concern that in spite of years of legal proceedings before a court of competent jurisdiction, the child had yet to be reunited with her legal adoptive parents.
Godwin further alleged that the child had not been seen at her last known location under the care of Ms Timipre Wolo since 2022.
The activist questioned the child’s current whereabouts and welfare, expressing fears over her safety and wellbeing.
“What is her present condition? Has any authority verified her welfare, education, health status or living conditions?” he asked.
He said that the child was placed under a temporary caregiving arrangement in 2020 with Ms Timipre Wolo, described as a trusted family friend, during the COVID-19 period.
He said she was to stay with Wolo pending the completion of documentation for her relocation to the United States.
He further stated that Wolo later initiated legal proceedings against the adoptive parents, seeking a court order to be granted adoption rights over the child.
According to him, judgment was eventually delivered in favour of the adoptive parents, thereby affirming their custodial position.
In spite of the ruling, he said that the child had not been physically reunited with her adoptive parents and siblings since 2022.
The petitioner said the matter had transcended a private family dispute and had become a broader child protection issue involving court enforcement and institutional accountability.
He expressed concern over how a child could remain unaccounted for in spite of a subsisting court ruling and years of legal processes.
He said the situation raised questions about the effectiveness of existing child protection mechanisms in the country.
He called on the Nigeria Police Force, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, child protection agencies and relevant human rights bodies to urgently investigate the child’s welfare and whereabouts.
He also urged the authorities to ensure compliance with the court judgment in the best interest of the child.
“The appeal is humanitarian in nature and aimed solely at drawing urgent attention to the whereabouts and welbeing of the child,” he said.(NAN)
(www.nannews.ng)
UFK/WS
Edited by Wandoo Sombo
