Friends of the victim, Dr Theresa share her story below…

We feel obliged to inform you of a disastrous and mind troubling incident. Dr Theresa is a Senior Registrar 1 in the department of Psychiatry of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital (Ile-Ife). She is a very gentle, easy going, ever smiling & hardworking resident doctor who has been battling sickle cell disease for more than 30 years.

This incident occurred at her residence in the early hours of Thursday 25th February 2016 in her service apartment building situated outside the hospital where she resides. Dr. Okpara, [A Wing Commander in the Nigerian Air Force] who is a resident Doctor in the Dept of Community Medicine in the same hospital where Theresa works also resides in that compound.
The parking lot within the compound is inadequate and as such tenants would have to occasionally call each other (through the security guard) to move their cars in the morning so that individuals are able to drive out. According to an eye witness (who is a doctor in the same hospital and also lives within the same compound), Dr Theresa’s car was obstructing Dr. Okpara’s car and he called her out to move her car. She had told him she was dressing up and would soon be out but he kept shouting and calling her. When she came out, he was still abusing her and being verbally aggressive. She then told him to take it easy since she had already told him she was dressing up and reminded him that he also does the same thing whenever his car is obstructing someone else’s.
As Theresa came out, entered her car and fastened her seat belt to drive out of the parking lot, Dr. Okpara continued barking asking her to move her car out, she told him she was already in the car and asked if he wanted to move it out himself? He then said he will teach her a lesson and went swiflty around the car, opened her car door and held her dress and punched her face several times. The Co-tenants had to run out to pull him away from her. At a point he reached for his metal pedal lock and was again restrained by tenants.
Following the incident he showed no remorse, as he continued in his verbal aggression with his shirt buttons undone calling her names. He also dared her to call whoever in Abuja suggesting that he was above the law as she made attempts to make calls after the incident. Dr. Theresa was rushed to the hospital as being a known Sickle cell disease patient, her health was paramount at the time. On arrival, it was confirmed that indeed she had Cerebrospinal fluid leaking from her brain. This continued to be copious before ameliorating after some hours. In adition to the frontal bone fracture detected initially, a further depressed nasal bone fracture was detected on CT scan. Theresa now has to decide between going for surgery to correct the facial deformity or live with a disfigured face.
Please join us in prayers for Theresa’s quick recovery, while we fight to ensure that Dr. Okpara is brought to Justice.

We would appreciate your help in giving this much needed publicity.

Sincerely yours,
Dr Lekan Abudu
On behalf of concerned colleagues