Miss Anambra Sex Scandal:Family decares beauty queen missing
When Chidinma Okeke, a 19-year-old student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka won Miss Anambra Beauty Pageant organised by the Anambra Broadcasting Service, in 2015, little did she or anyone else know that her reign as a beauty queen would record a sad end.
The 300-level student of Medical Laboratory who hails from Ogboji community in Orumba South council area of Anambra State had been enjoying the benefits of her position until 11th day of October, 2016 when she was unceremoniously stripped of her crown by the organisers of the pageantry. The star prize, a car given to her was not only taken away from her and parked at the premises of the radio/TV house, but the Miss Anambra 2015 inscription on it was erased.
According to the management of the station led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive
Officer, Nze Uche Nworah, Chidinma was stripped of her crown because “she had served out her tenure in line with the terms and conditions placed by the pageant organisers.”
The unceremonious event, televised on 11th October had some senior members of staff of the station in attendance. Shortly after she was stripped of the crown, the social media was awash with video clips where the beauty queen allegedly engaged in lesbianism with another girl.
At first, Chidinma was said to have denied being the one in the video until about a week later when a more explicit version of the video, which she later owned up, was released by those she described as her traducers.
Although the beauty queen switched off all channels of communication following the attacks she was receiving from the public court, her lawyer, Mr Ikenna Obidiegwu, on October 26, arranged for a World Press Conference to be addressed by the beauty queen to tell her own side of the story.
The media parley, which was scheduled to hold at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, Awka, was called off abruptly when information filtered into the complex that some gunmen were coming to disrupt it.
Miss Okeke, was said to have sworn to expose “the powerful cabal” behind her ordeal in the sordid video, but her lawyer later said that she could no longer address journalists because “her life had been threatened.”
Obidiegwu alleged that the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr Sam Okaula, had denied his client police protection for the press briefing on the grounds that the police got a short notice.
“THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE SAID THE NOTICE WAS TOO SHORT, AND THAT HE COULD NOT MOBILISE POLICE SECURITY FOR THE QUEEN IMMEDIATELY” HE SAID.
According to a post she made on her Facebook wall, Chidinma said she had been warned not to step into the venue or risk assassination.
It read:
“CONSIDERING THE NEED TO MAKE THE WORLD KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TRENDING SCANDAL, AND WHAT WE HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH BEFORE THEN AND NOW, I DECIDED TO HOLD WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE NUJ PRESS CENTRE, AWKA TODAY. BUT FROM THE MOMENT I MADE PUBLIC THIS INTENTION; I HAVE BEEN UNDER SIEGE OF THREATS BY MY BLACKMAILERS AND TRADUCERS.”
“THEY ARE SERIOUSLY THREATENING TO SHOOT ME AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE IF I EVER OPEN MY MOUTH TO SAY THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT THE UGLY EPISODE. SINCE I HAVE NO PROTECTION AND IF I DIE NOW THE TRUTH WOULD BE BURIED FOREVER, IT’S MY OBJECTIVE TO SACRIFICE MYSELF TO SAVE NOT JUST MYSELF BUT OTHER GIRLS AND OTHER UPCOMING PAGEANTS BY LETTING THE WORLD KNOW THE TRUTH AND WHAT WE GO THROUGH” THE POST ADDED.
Her family breaks silence
For more than two weeks of the ugly development, all the concerned public could get was a chilling silence from her family.
We took a bumpy ride to Chidinma’s hometown of Ogboji. Read their report below:
ON ARRIVAL, OUR REPORTER MET THE FAMILY RESIDENCE UNDER LOCK. THE THICK BUSH GROWING INSIDE THE COMPOUND EASILY DISCLOSES TO ANY VISITOR THAT THE FAMILY MUST BE RESIDING SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY. BUT MEMBERS OF THEIR EXTENDED FAMILY LIVING IN THE NEXT COMPOUND GAVE THEIR WORDS ON THE RAGING CONTROVERSY.
SPEAKING TO OUR REPORTER ON THE TELEPHONE, CHIDINMA’S FATHER, SIR JEREMIAH OKEKE WHO IS LIVING IN ABA, ABIA STATE WITH HIS FAMILY, LAMENTED THAT THE FAMILY HAD BEEN GOING THROUGH EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA SINCE IT ALL STARTED.
WITH A VOICE LADEN WITH HEAVY EMOTIONS, THE 65-YEAR-OLD MAN TOLD OUR REPORTER THAT THE FAMILY HAD HANDED OVER THE SITUATION TO GOD.
“CHIDINMA IS MY OWN DAUGHTER” HE SAID, “BUT THERE IS NOTHING MUCH I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THERE IS A LIFESTYLE ADOPTED BY MY FAMILY. WE DON’T FOMENT TROUBLES.
“I, AS THE FATHER, HAVE COMMITTED EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYERS. HUMAN BEING CANNOT FIGHT OUR CAUSE BUT ONLY GOD IN HEAVEN. WE ARE IN SERIOUS PRAYERS FOR GOD TO INTERVENE. I DON’T HAVE ANYBODY ON EARTH EXCEPT GOD.”
ASKED IF HIS DAUGHTER HAS BEFORE THE INCIDENT COMPLAINED TO HIM THAT SHE WAS BEING SEXUALLY HARRASSED, HE SAID HE WAS CONFUSED ABOUT THE WHOLE MATTER, EVEN AS HE RAISED THE ALARM OVER THE WHEREABOUTS OF HIS DAUGHTER.
“I AM CONFUSED ABOUT THE WHOLE THING AS OF NOW. IT IS ONLY WHEN I SET MY EYES ON MY DAUGHTER THAT I WILL KNOW ABOUT ALL THESE. AS IT STANDS NOW, I DON’T KNOW WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS.”
HE SAID HE WAS NOT SUSPECTING ANYBODY OF HAVING A HAND IN HIS DAUGHTER’S ORDEAL AS SPECULATED IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA.
GOING BACK MEMORY LANE, OKEKE RECALLED THAT GOD’S MIGHTY HAND ON HIM WAS EVIDENCED ON HIS MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL FROM HIS CHILDHOOD TRAGEDIES.
“THERE ARE MANY WAYS GOD IS FIGHTING MY BATTLE. I WAS ONLY FIVE YEARS WHEN MY FATHER DIED. I DON’T KNOW WHETHER I GOT UP TO SIX YEARS BEFORE MY MOTHER DIED TOO. I DON’T HAVE ANYBODY BUT IT IS ONLY GOD THAT SUSTAINED ME ALL THROUGH. IT WAS SAME GOD THAT ASSISTED ME TO RAISE AND TRAIN ALL MY CHILDREN. ALL THE FAMILY MEMBERS ARE PRAYING.
“AS IT STANDS NOW, MY DAUGHTER IS STILL A SMALL GIRL. I DON’T KNOW WHETHER SHE IS STILL ALIVE OR DEAD. BUT ALL I KNOW IS THAT GOD WILL PROVE HIMSELF WORTHY TO FIGHT HIS CHILDREN’S BATTLE. I DON’T HAVE MUCH TO SAY FOR NOW.
“SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS BUT ME AND MY GOD ARE STILL COMMUNICATING THROUGH PRAYERS. THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS GOD REVEALS SOME THINGS TO ME. I AM NOT SUSPECTING ANYBODY BUT ONLY GOD KNOWS WHO IS BEHIND THAT; WHETHER HE IS HUMAN OR SPIRIT. I’M LEAVING WHOEVER THAT IS BEHIND IT TO HIS CONSCIENCE. THE LIFE OF MY DAUGHTER IS MOST IMPORTANT TO ME NOW. WHEREVER SHE IS, LET HER BE ALIVE FOR ME.”
THE DEPRESSED OKEKE, WHO OBVIOUSLY NEEDS ASSISTANCE TO ENABLE HIM BOUNCE BACK TO HIS YEARS OF COMFORT TOLD SATURDAY SUN THAT HIS BUSINESS WHICH HITHERTO WAS FLOURISHING WAS HIT BY THE ECONOMIC TSUNAMI SWEEPING THROUGH THE COUNTRY.
“I AM A BUSINESSMAN BUT BECAUSE OF THIS HARSH ECONOMIC CONDITION, MY BUSINESS IS NO LONGER MOVING AS EXPECTED. YOU UNDERSTAND? I AM JUST DOING LITTLE THINGS TO FEED.
“I WAS A DISTRIBUTOR FOR PEAK MILK HERE IN ABA, ABIA STATE BUT FOR SOME TIME NOW, I HAVE STOPPED BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE STRENGTH FOR FOMENTING TROUBLES. WE BORROW MONEY FROM THE BANKS TO EMBARK ON THE PEAK MILK DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS BUT WHEN IT BECAME TOO COMPETITIVE, IN ADDITION TO THE LOSSES INCURRED IN THE COURSE OF DOING THE BUSINESS, I STOPPED.”
CHIDINMA’S COUSIN, BLESSING CHINENYE NWAFOR, WHO OUR REPORTER MET IN THEIR VILLAGE IN OGBOJI, TOLD SATURDAY SUN REGRETTABLY THAT THE SEX VIDEO HAD GONE ROUND THEIR VILLAGE.
