Chief Magistrate Orders Police to Investigate Three for Sexual Harassment

Chief Magistrate Orders Police to Investigate Three for Sexual Harassment

Tobi Soniyi

A Chief Magistrate sitting at Life Camp, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nweecheonwu Chinyere Elewe has directed the Commissioner of Police to investigate Abel Baiye Ajibade, Ganiyu Olalere Opaleye, Moses Igbavboa and the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria for alleged criminal conspiracy and sexual harassment.

Ajibade, Opaleye, Igbavboa and Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria are listed as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.

The Chief Magistrate’s directive follow a complaint by a staff of the Radiographers Registration Board of Nigeria, Mrs Vivian Mgboh who alleged that

she was sexually harassed by one of the defendants who in turn manipulated the other defendants to make her job difficult and frustrate her.

In a direct criminal complaint filed by her counsel, D.O Ariku, Mrs Mgboh alleged criminal conspiracy against the defendants whom he accused of using their official positions vindictively as the Head of Servicom and Head of Administration to set up disciplinary panel with the Board against her contrary to Sections 83, 96 and 104 of the Penal Code.

She said that a query was issued to her on June 7th, 2019, October 6th 2020 and November 12th 2020 to enable the 1st and 2nd defendants use their official position to force the Board to punish her.

Mgboh alleged that the 2nd defendant who is the Head of Administration of the Board has over the years been using his official position to victimize, harass, intimidate and instigate management staff including the 1st defendant to always misinform facts against her for declining his sexual advances by reporting same to her husband, the supposed friend to the 1st defendant.

She also alleged that “the 2nd defendant amidst all forms of discrimination and degradation amongst most staff against the complaint in the Board the 2nd defendant has vowed to use all means to jeopardize the complaint, including using the 1st defendant and other management staff of the Board to continue to instigate a query and threatening the life of the complaint.

She further averted that “for years the 2nd defendant has continued with this wicked animosity against her and has continued to use all malicious threats to surreptitiously subject her life both within and outside the workplace and within the knowledge of the management into jeopardy.

The 2nd defendant masterminded all the threats by the 1st defendant against the complainant and all other management staff of the Board in order to continue to scare the complainant at the workplace to resign from the Board by fire or by force.

“That the 1st and 2nd defendants conspired with the 3rd defendant to use his office as the Head of Human Resources to deny the complainant the necessary documents in connection of the commission of crime by the 1st and 2nd defendants and to also refuse to hand over the 1st and 2nd defendants to the police for discreet investigation regarding the complaint that is within the knowledge of the Board and his office as the Head of Human Resources to the Board.

In a letter to the FCT Police Commissioner, Chief Magistrate Nweecheonwu Chinyere Elewe directed investigation into the allegations raised by Mrs Mgboh and that the First Information Report (FIR) should be ready within two weeks of the investigation disclosing an offence.

Mrs Mgbo has also filed a civil suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja with number Suit NO FHC/ABJ/CS/67/2021.

She is asking the court to award N20 million damages against the defendants.

She is asking the court to declare that the defendants’ arbitrary and continuing use of their positions as Head of Administration, Human Resources and Servicom to severally harass, intimidate, discriminate and incite the 2nd respondent to constantly make false and malicious claim against her with intent to cause the Registrar of the Board to set up disciplinary or administrative panel against her is a crime punishable under sections 93, 96 and 140 of the Penal Code, laws of the Federation.

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