The controversial pregnancy of a ‘rescued’ 13-year-old girl in the custody of an orphanage belonging to the Lagos State Government is causing ripples in Aboru area of Alimosho Government Area of the state, reports The Nation.
Friday Akor, a native of Benue State, is dismayed that his 13-year-old daughter in the custody of an orphanage belonging to the Lagos State Government is carrying a pregnancy.
Taken to Lagos in December 2024 to stay with her aunt, Faith Amodu, she was enrolled at Dan Esther Nursery and Primary School situated a stone’s throw from Faith’s residence at No 21, Joseph Onifade Street, Aboru, Lagos.
A Primary 3 pupil, Blessing’s story took a dramatic turn in June 2025 when she suddenly disappeared from home for four days.
Findings by neighbours and her guardian later revealed that she was taken away by a young woman described as a neighbour.
The case was reported at the Oke-Odo Police Station, following which the woman in question was invited to the station to produce the girl, but she was said to have declined.
In the heat of police insistence on arresting the woman if she did not return the girl, she was said to have taken Blessing to the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Alausa, Ikeja, claiming that Blessing was being maltreated by her guardian.
The matter took a twist after the guardian and a community leader visited the ministry in search of Blessing but were directed to report at Alausa Police Station.
Initially, the police wanted to detain her guardian, Faith, at the instance of the ministry. She was, however, released after explaining that Blessing was enrolled in a school and was not maltreated.
It was said that the Ministry refused to release Blessing to Faith and the community leader and demanded family photographs confirming that the Blessing was related to her guardian.
But despite producing the photographs, the ministry allegedly remained obstinate, demanding the presence of the girl’s family members. This prompted her father to come to Lagos, but Blessing was still not released to her family members.
Instead, she was taken to a state-owned orphanage in Isolo part of Lagos.
Matters became complicated after several fruitless visits and the discovery in December that the 13-year-old girl was pregnant.
Her father, who spoke with our correspondent, said Blessing was about five months pregnant.
He said: “I had to come down to Lagos from my base in Benue State when I received the news that my daughter had not been released to her guardian who is also my sister, and one of my older brothers who represented the family.
“To my surprise, we discovered that she was already pregnant when I saw her.
“I was told at the Ministry that an unnamed person impregnated my daughter at a government orphanage she was taken to, and I feel bad about the development.
“I will be going to the orphanage located around Isolo on Tuesday, January 13, because I want to know exactly what happened to my daughter, as she was not pregnant when she was taken to government custody.”
Blessing’s guardian, Faith Amodu, who works in a human hair production firm at Ikeja, in a brief telephone conversation with our correspondent on Wednesday evening, confirmed the case and promised to call back to provide further details. She, however, had not fulfilled her promise at press time.
Speaking on the matter, a community leader and chairman of Ayedade Community Development Association (CDA), Aboru, Pastor Obagbolabo Orefuyi, recalled how the matter started and the turn of events.