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| Nwanguma |
Mrs. Brenda Nwanguma, a worker with Inner City
Mission for Children (ICM4C), under the Christ Embassy Church canopy, is
threatening to drag the church and Pastor Kenechukwu Kanu aka Kaycee to court.
Nwanguma, a member of the Christ Embassy Church, is
demanding for justice in respect of alleged work place harassment, intimidation,
blackmail and libel. Nwanguma’s lawyer, Samuel Akpologun had already petitioned
the church.
Nwanguma is threatening to take the church and
Pastor Kaycee to court if nothing was done to address and back.
Earlier this year, Nwanguma, a mother of three, had
accused Pastor Kaycee of sexually harassing and victimizing her.
While Nwanguma accused Kaycee, a father of two, of
sexual harassment, Kaycee countered by calling her a, “loose woman who has
slept with at least two to three men here. Her husband doesn’t know her. He
should go and put his house in order. I’m a man of the cloth. There’re certain
things I shouldn’t say.”
Nwanguma had further accused Kaycee of having a
penchant for sexually harassing and even succeeding in sleeping with women in
the organization.
Nwanguma noted that it was because of her rebuffed
of Kaycee’s sexual advances that led to her being victimized.
She has decided to take the matter to court after
endlessly waiting to hear from the committee constituted by the church to look
into the allegations she raised.
Part of Akpologun’s petition states: “It is our
brief that on April 3, 2017, our client, Brenda Nwanguma, who is a staff in
your organisazation, made a complaint to the Head of Administration of the said
mission, Pastor Ifeoma Chiemeka, through
electronic mail on the following; sexual harassment. She said that
Pastor Kaycee, who is the head of operation of this said mission, under which
our client has worked as a staff, had been sexually harassing our client by
making demands to have canal knowledge of her in return for facilitating her
transfer from a department with an oppressive boss, to another department.”
The lawyer further stated that because his client
turned down Kaycee’s sexual advances, the cleric resorted to victimizing her by
posting and transferring her twice, within the space of a month.
Akpologun noted: “The first vindictive transfer was
made on January 3, 2017, whereby she was transferred to the Media Sub department
to act as a Librarian. The second transfer was made via a mail dated January
25, 2017. She was moved to the school Pastoral Care Unit to act as pastoral
care coordinator, thus effectively brining her under the same boss, about whom
our client had earlier complained.”
Speaking on discrimination, intimidation and
blackmail of his client, the lawyer noted that when his client was forced to
report the situation to the Director of the Mission, Mrs. Omoh Alabi, the
Director allegedly refused, neglected or omitted to respond to Nwanguma’s
complaint. She also allegedly did not take any step to address or investigate
the grave allegations contained in the email sent by Nwanguma to her on January
26, 2017.
Akpologun claimed that Omoh blackmailed and
intimidated his client until she had to apologise to Kaycee and sent a copy of
the letter of apology to Omoh, before she was given any audience.
Thereafter, Omoh asked Nwanguma not to resume at
work until “High authorities” had looked into her case and determined where
exactly she would be work.
“It has been more than nine months now since Nwanguma
was promised that her case would be looked into. Yet nothing had been done in
that regard,” stated Akpologun.
The lawyer further stated that it was also his brief
that since Omoh asked his client to stay away from work, his client had not
been given any further instruction or information.
He also argued that his client’s salary, since she
was asked to stay away, had been unduly withheld for no just cause for nine
months now.
He added: “When on April 28, 2017, the situation was
reported to The New Telegraph; the management of the Mission convened a panel,
invited our client and promised to look into her case after receiving evidence
from her. She was further instructed to stay away from work till the outcome of
the panel. Since then, till date, the said management has neither got in touch
with our client nor paid her salaries due.
“It is our further brief that Pastor Kaycee caused a
libelous publication to be made in the said New Telegraph Newspaper against our
client. In the said publication of April 28, 2017, Pastor Kaycee falsely and
maliciously alleged that our client is an adulterous woman, who had slept with
more than two staff of the Mission. We have the instruction of our client to
demand as follows; that the salaries of our client for the months of February
to November be paid within 14 days. That the report of the panel held in May
2017, be made available to our client through our office. That you either
investigate the libelous publication made by Pastor Kaycee or prevailed on him
to make a public apology for same which said apology must be published in the
New Telegraph, where the libelous publication was made. That our client be
restored to her job forthwith. Otherwise we may be compelled to advise our
client to seek necessary legal redress in the court without further notifying
you.”
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