Enugu, Nigeria — November 11, 2025
A 29-year-old woman in Enugu State has been charged with criminal defamation and misleading police after baselessly accusing her husband of sexually assaulting their two young daughters, an allegation that unraveled under medical scrutiny and stemmed from marital discord.
Chisom Okonkwo appeared before a Magistrate Court in Enugu on Tuesday, facing two counts under Charge No. CnI…A/2025, according to court documents obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The charges allege that in August 2024, at Adoration Junction in Emene, Okonkwo publicly defamed her husband, Ozioma Okonkwo, by claiming he had defiled their daughters—aged five and three—exposing him to “hatred, contempt, and ridicule” among community members and authorities.
Enugu State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Daniel Nwoye, confirmed the arraignment in a statement, noting that Ozioma was initially arrested and detained based on his wife’s complaint. “Following a thorough investigation, including medical examinations of the children, no evidence of defilement was found,” Nwoye said. “The results confirmed the girls had not been harmed by their father, contrary to the claims.”
Investigators determined the accusation arose from “domestic misunderstandings” between the couple, a finding echoed in similar cases where personal grievances have led to fabricated reports of child abuse. Okonkwo is also accused of deceiving law enforcement by providing false information, an offense punishable under Nigeria’s Criminal Code Act.
The case highlights the perils of weaponizing serious allegations in family disputes, potentially eroding trust in genuine victims of sexual violence. In Nigeria, where child defilement carries a minimum 14-year sentence under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, false claims can devastate reputations and clog judicial resources. Okonkwo’s lawyer, who entered a not guilty plea on her behalf, argued the matter was a “private family issue” exaggerated by emotions, but the magistrate remanded her in custody pending bail considerations.
No trial date has been set, but the prosecution has vowed to pursue the maximum penalty—up to two years imprisonment for defamation—to deter similar misuse of the legal system. Ozioma, now exonerated, has not commented publicly, but family sources described him as “relieved yet scarred” by the ordeal.
As the case unfolds, advocates like the Enugu State chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Family Law Committee have called for mandatory counseling in domestic disputes to prevent escalation. “False accusations not only harm the accused but undermine efforts to protect real victims,” said committee chair, Barrister Ifeoma Eze.
The incident serves as a stark reminder amid Nigeria’s ongoing battle against gender-based violence, where over 11,000 rape cases were reported in 2024 alone, per National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) data. For the Okonkwo family, what began as household tensions has now become a public reckoning with the law.
