Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of a Lagos Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja on Wednesday ordered Cece Yarah Foundation to produce the daughters of an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Lagos, Adebisi Arewa, in court.
The judge gave the order that the children be produced in court on the next adjourned date, August 25, to enable her have an interface with them about their wellbeing.
Justice Taiwo said she would speak with the children in her chambers, allowing the children speak for themselves, noting that she should have since made the order but it escaped her notice.
The professor had sued on behalf of himself and his two children, X and Y, against the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice.
Other respondents in the matter are the Director of Public Prosecution, Lagos State Ministry of Justice; Commissioner for Youths and Social Development; Executive Secretary, Domestic and Sexual Violence Team in the Ministry of Justice, Chief Mrs O. A Olayinka; Chief Magistrate of Lagos State, O.T Odumole; Principal Social Welfare Officer, Yaba; Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Lagos State.
In the suit, the professor is seeking six reliefs, among which is an order seeking immediate release of the applicants to their parents, an order quashing a forensic interview of the minors purportedly conducted by the foundation without the consent and participation of the parents illegal, void and of no effect, and an order releasing the children to enable them go to school.
Professor Arewa, who appeared for himself earlier before the ruling, had told the court that his children are not properly catered for and are being provided with second clothes in the custody of the Cece Yara Foundation.
He said the last time he saw his children was in May 2022.
He further informed the court that the mother of the children, a banker, is not capable of caring for the children due to her work.
Cece Foundation took custody of the children after allegation that Arewa is allegedly having carnal knowledge of his two daughters. He was alleged to have refused to release the victims for forensic examination.
But in a twist, a driver at the University of Lagos Women Society Nursery and Primary School, Akoka, Lagos, one Abiodun Matthew, was accused of defiling the minor. He was sent to life imprisonment in February 2022 by Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja.
