A 43-year-old man accused of raping a 12-year-old minor who served as his housekeeper and nanny to his three children is back in society as a free man.

While the 12-year-old battles emotional trauma and healing from the scars from the incident, Uche James is back with his wife and three children and has been going about his business at Tejuosho Market, Yaba, where he sells fabrics.

FIJ recently reported how an X user identified as Amaka rescued 12-year-old Nicky (not real name) from James, who had raped her on different occasions, and got him arrested in June 2024.

According to Amaka, who spoke with FIJ, Nicky moved in with James in February 2023 after he travelled to Abia State and paid her parents to let him take her to Lagos. According to Amaka, Nicky told her James took her to a hotel on the  night they were to make their journey to Lagos.

Nicky told Amaka that was the night James first raped her. After the vicious act, 12-year-old Nicky, who had not begun her menstruation at the time, started to bleed uncontrollably, and she begged him to take her back to her family, which he refused.

“She said he raped her twice in the hotel and he went out to get her pad,” Amaka told FIJ.

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She told Amaka she tried to run away from the pedophile but the staff of the hotel caught her and handed her over to the abuser, who beat her up. Nicky told Amaka that James fondled her breasts throughout their journey to Lagos.

Amaka told FIJ that she got to know about how James molested and raped Nicky when the 12-year-old knocked on her door one day and told her she wanted to tell her something. Amaka opened the door of her apartment and let her in.

While they were in Amaka’s apartment, Nicky narrated how the 43-year-old paedophile would rape her every night.

“She said whenever he raped her, he would use his hand to close her mouth and hold her down so she wouldn’t scream. She said there were times he would beat her. She told me that at times, when she was too sore or bleeding, he would sleep with her through her anus,” Amaka told FIJ.

“There was a time she bit his hand and he got injured and began beating her, and when his wife came to ask, he would pretend like she did something else and she would also join in beating the 12-year-old.”

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Amaka also said Nicky told her she didn’t know if the wife was aware her husband was raping her. James would beat Nicky with wires and canes, and there was a time he injured her with a knife.

RESCUING NICKY FROM AN ABUSER

In June 2023, Amaka took up the case and involved the police and non-governmental organisations. James was later arrested by the police. Amaka told FIJ she went with Nicky to the police station on James’ arrest.

“While we were in the van, he was telling her, ‘Don’t do this to me; you know I am your uncle and you know how much I take care of you’. I used my hand to close the little girl’s ears and started telling her not to be afraid. She was shaking, but I kept on encouraging her,” said Amaka.

At first, he was taken to Bariga Police Station, but was later transferred to Area F Police Station and remanded at Kirikiri Prison. Amaka took Nicky to get tested at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she got tested for pregnancy, hepatitis and HIV, which all came out negative.

“The doctor examined her private area. Afterwards, she told me Nicky was severely bruised in her vagina and anus. They told me they were going to put everything in an official report and forward it to the station,” said Amaka.

Amaka also told FIJ that when Nicky’s parents were informed, they travelled down to Lagos from Abia State but were not willing to pursue the case.

“The father was saying, ‘I don’t want any case o. I don’t want any case’. I tried to convince him that the man had to pay for his crimes. The man went to swear an affidavit to withdraw the case,” Amaka said.

“The rapist’s lawyer was trying to convince him to withdraw the case by all means. I heard his conversation with the lawyer. They were offering to pay him N200,000, and he quickly went to swear an affidavit to withdraw the case.”

Amaka told FIJ she contacted the National Human Rights Commission and involved a commissioner of police. She also told FIJ they did not allow the parents to sweep the case under the rug immediately and still kept him in police custody.

After this incident, Nicki underwent therapy and was eventually handed to her parents, who took her back to Abia State with them. Another neighbour, Ade (not real name), joined hands with Amaka in rescuing Nicky from the paedophile.

“The girl was with me for two weeks before she was handed over to her parents,” Amaka told FIJ.

“I would call the mother from time to time to check up on Nicki. Recently, she has been evasive. She does not let me speak to her again. She either tells me she is sleeping or she went out to buy something. I suspect her parents have given Nicki off to another family to serve as their housekeeper.”

Now, Amaka no longer lives in that neighbourhood. Yesterday, someone who still lives in the neighbourhood told her that James was released from prison two weeks ago and is now back in the compound.

A RECURRING INCIDENCE

FIJ learned from Ade that Nicki is not the first minor James has sexually molested. Ade told FIJ that before Nicki became his housekeeper, two other underage girls served as housekeepers for James’ family.

“During the COVID lockdown in 2020, there was a little girl who lived with them and worked as a housekeeper for the family. He would sneak up on her at night and touch her. I told her not to allow him to sleep with her,” she told FIJ.

When he went out one day, she came to my house and told me to call her mom and dad, and I kept pressuring them until they took the girl away from their custody.

She also told FIJ about a girl who was living with them at some point and who cried every morning. “They claimed the girl was related to them. I suspect he must have sexually molested her too,” she added.

Amaka, Ade and other neighbours suspect the wife is aware of the series of sexual molestations the underage girls who have worked with them as housekeepers experienced at the hands of the 43-year-old.

“The wife physically abused the girls, while her husband abused them both physically and sexually,” said Ade.

Ade also told FIJ she had confronted James’ wife on different occasions but she kept denying it.

‘OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT SAFE‘

Since James was released in December last year, Ade’s mind has not been at peace. She fears he will try to sexually molest her daughter.

Ade, who is the mother of a 14-year-old girl, told FIJ that since he got back, he had not shown any sign of remorse. “If I had not kept a close watch, I am sure he must have moved to my daughter. I have always had the feeling that he is a paedophile,” said Ade.

“Our children are not safe. As long as I am concerned, he is a beast. Such a person should not be allowed back into society.”

FIJ learned that the parents refused to show up at the court hearing to testify against James, and he has now been released from the police station.

The spokesperson of the Lagos State police posted on his account on X that James was either freed on bail or the case was thrown out.

FIJ contacted Nicky’s mother via the telephone number given to us by Amaka. “I don’t have any case in court,” she said. “Wrong number.”

‘I HAVE NOTHING TO SAY‘

This reporter visited James’ home on two occasions to get a reaction from him but did not meet him at home. Ade told FIJ that he had people who had been supporting him and giving him information.

His wife’s voice was heard from within but she refused to respond when this reporter called out to her. This reporter also saw another little girl in their home.

“She is not their daughter. She is their housekeeper, who replaced Nicky,” Ade told FIJ.

This reporter found James at his shop, but he refused to comment.

“The matter is in court. I have nothing to say. Leave this place,” James told FIJ.