Sad woman
What began as a hopeful move for a better life turned into a long nightmare from an uncle-in-law for Felicia, a 21-year-old woman from Benue State.
She shared a deeply disturbing account of manipulation, s*xual abuse, and betrayal at the hands of those she once called family.
Felicia, who first reported her ordeal to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in 2022, continues to seek justice after years of silence and emotional suffering. Her case, however, remains stalled, leaving her trapped between trauma and a legal system that has yet to act decisively.
According to Punch, Felicia moved to Abuja in 2016 to live with her aunt, Ngozi, and her husband, Emeka, in hopes of accessing better opportunities. It was the last time she would see her parents. From the outset, her communication with them was tightly controlled by the couple—calls were monitored, and her contact with the outside world was limited.
The abuse, Felicia says, began in May 2021. One Sunday morning, Emeka allegedly instructed her to skip church by pretending to be ill. What followed was a disturbing pattern of inappropriate questioning and pressure coupled with manipulation. “He told me that doing what he asked would help my family out of poverty,” she recounted.
Despite her resistance, the abuse escalated. Felicia claims that during regular trips to the market, Emeka would divert to a hotel where he would force himself on her. “Each time we went to the market, he would branch to a hotel and forcefully have s*x with me,” she said. She was reportedly given medication afterward and warned to remain silent.
When Felicia finally confided in her aunt, hoping for protection and understanding, she was met with a chilling response. According to her, Ngozi dismissed the allegations and encouraged her to cooperate. “She told me everything was fine and that I should continue,” Felicia said, adding that her aunt even witnessed one of the incidents and did nothing.
It became painfully clear to Felicia that the abuse was not only ongoing but also condoned. She was isolated, emotionally distressed, and afraid. Her pleas for help were ignored, and she was pressured to maintain the arrangement “for the good of the family.” At one point, she alleges Ngozi gave her personal items and asked her to make videos for Emeka’s entertainment.
With nowhere to turn, Felicia began secretly saving small amounts of money she found in the house. Eventually, under the pretext of needing medical attention, she asked Emeka for financial assistance. With the money, she fled and returned to Benue.
Read also:
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‘How My Uncle-In-Law Took Me to a Hotel Everyday to Force Himself on Me’ – Victim
