This is the story of Tina, the teenage girl who was
serially raped by Super Eagles star, Godwin Okpara. She has released a book,
detailing how the sexual assault went on for two years.
In the book titled, “My Life Has A Price”, the
victim narrates how she was adopted at age 13 by the Okparas and taken to
France. Then Linda, Okpara’s wife, enslaved her and turned a blind eye to the
sexual abuse she suffered in the hands of Godwin Okpara.
This is a part of Tina's sad experience chronicled
in her sexual abuse story:
Why did you decide to write this book?
For a long time, I refused to talk about my story. I
refused all articles, interviews. One day, I told myself that if I refused
testifying, other girls will continue to experience modern slavery. There will
be other unhappy children, other “Tinas”. This is what gave me the courage.
Why did you title the book, My Life Has A Price?
It was proposed by Virginia Fuertes, the editor with
whom I worked. I immediately found that corresponded to my story. My life has a
price since Godwin Okpara gave money to my parents to buy me. But my life has
also a price worth far more: the price of tears, fear and courage.
Considering what you went through in your adoptive
parents’ home, do you blame your dad for letting you go through all those?No. My
father believed in doing what was best for me. He believed sincerely in giving
me the opportunity to study in France and have a better future. The Okparas
told him that I would go to school and when Linda Okpara made trips to Nigeria,
she went to see my father and lied: “Oh yes, Tina works well in school, etc…”
Have you been able to get over the traumatic
experience?
In part, yes. Because I was able to go back to
school and get a job. Because I work with seniors and I feel useful. Because
people have helped me: educators, my lawyer, friends. But I still have crying
spells and nightmares. I wanted to write this book also to get it out of me. It
came out, but it remains inside.
You had a secret notebook while going through the
harrowing experiences. Did the raw material for the book come from the jottings
you made?
Initially, I was not thinking about it. These
notebooks were used to dump all my sorrow, all my hatred for Linda. It was my
lifeline and my friend. But when I started writing the book, I took out the
books. It was very hard to read everything.
You portrayed Mamie as cunning and subtly wicked.
How were you able to cope with her?
At one point, I thought she might be my ally. But
very quickly, I realised that she was spying on me, denouncing me and I learned
to be wary of her. She did this because, as everyone in the house, she was
afraid of Linda. And finally, she witnessed my tortures without saying
anything.
What actually gave you the strength to survive the
ordeal?
When I appeared on French television, a presenter
first made a summary of the book and my life. Meanwhile, on a giant screen
behind me, they ran images of Godwin Okpara as Paris Saint-Germain player. It
was horrible. At the end, the presenter of the show turned to me and asked:
“Tina, how did you survive that?” I was prepared to answer a lot of questions,
but not that. There was a silence on the set of the show; I felt all members of
the audience watching me. And a tear ran down my cheek. I was looking for the
answer and it came. I said: ‘For the love of my father.’ It’s true. During all
these years of suffering, I thought of him. I did not want to disappoint him. I
remembered his kindness, his love. I also thought much about my mother, who was
in heaven.
Did Godwin Okpara show any amorous interest in you
before he actually raped you?
I do not know. In any case, he never tried to seduce
me. He took what he wanted, suddenly, without love, without feeling, just for
fun.
When did it occur to you that the Okparas didn’t
have good plans for you?
I gradually realised when my school year was always
delayed and at the same time, I had more work to do at home. And Linda was
gradually changing her attitude towards me. At the beginning, it was ‘Tina,
please, can you do that for me?’ Later, it became: ‘Tina, do this. Tina, why
have you not done this yet?’ The day she spat it in my face that schooling was
not for me because I was too stupid, I lost all hope.
You portray Linda as actually controlling Godwin in
your book. Could you tell me how the couple met each other and got married?I do
not know how they met. Linda had a great influence on her husband. She was
older, I think, and more authoritarian. He was afraid of her, I think.
Why do you think Godwin didn’t have the courage to
challenge Linda over the way she was maltreating you?On the football field, he
was perhaps a courageous defender, but in life, he behaved like a coward. He
was afraid of her. She dominated him psychologically. He was the child and she
the mother. And I think he was not opposed to her because I was not important
to him. I was something like a piece of furniture. You do not argue with your
wife because she abused a table or chair.
In your book, you said Godwin gave your father some
money. Did Godwin actually buy you? Or is the money a kind of price he paid for
you?I think the Okparas were malignant. They gave N30,000, the equivalent of
375 euros to my father, telling him that it was a gift. It was better hidden.
In fact, they purchased me without my father’s knowledge. I believe that my
father did not sell me .
The couple are still serving their jail terms. But
you didn’t write about what happened to their children. Where are their children?
Who is taking care of them?After the arrest of Godwin and Linda, they were
placed in foster homes. For them also, this story is a disaster. I often think
about them because I loved them.
How long did it take you to write the book?
It took an entire year.
You wrote the book in collaboration with Cyril
Guinet. Could you explain the nature of collaboration?I did not know Cyril
before writing this book. This is a journalist, who has always been interested
in issues of child slavery around the world. For example, he went to Haiti to
denounce ‘Restavec’, a traditional slavery of poor children. He knew my story
by attending the trial of Okpara. As luck would have it, he contacted Maitre
Peron, my lawyer, years after the trial. But the day before he called, I had
just told my lawyer that I was considering writing my story. I told Cyril my
story and he wrote, asking me questions along the way. We both worked several
times a week. I cried a lot during these sessions and I gained weight. I even
had to see a shrink not to sink. Then he sent me the chapters to re-read. In
re-reading my story, I cried every time. But I was happy because the book
faithfully captures my story.
What lessons have your experiences taught you?
Hope. This is the most important lesson. I also
learned that I was stronger than I thought because I survived.
Where actually did you grow up in Lagos before you
went to stay with your uncle?
I grew up at Shomolu, Bariga, in Lagos.
What was the relationship between your dad and the
Okparas?
My father knew Godwin Okpara thanks to football.
Godwin, when he was young, had played in a company where my father worked.
Does your past experience affect the way you relate
with people now?
I do not know. I cannot say how I would relate with
people if my life had been different.
Are you in any relationship now? What plans do you
have for the future?
Like all girls of my age, I dream of Prince
Charming. I want to be in love, get married and have children. I always dream
of having a large family: two boys and two girls.
Do you intend relocating to Nigeria very soon?
Maybe to see my family, I have returned several
times since.
In your book, you gave the impression that your
father was poisoned? Do you still believe that?
He died in a very mysterious way.
What native language did your parents speak. Where
are you originally from in Nigeria?
At home we spoke Alago our native language and
Yoruba. I come from Nassarawa State.
Considering what you went through, are you satisfied
with the judgment?
At the trial, I said all I wanted was a halt to the
torture. I wanted to go to school and have a normal life, not to be a slave.
Nobody should be a slave in the 21st Century. I told the judges: “If people
like Godwin Okpara, if they want to pay to see him play football, release him
but withdraw me from them.” Years in prison, it is normal in terms of what they
have done. But that won’t give me back my childhood and my innocence.
Why did you think the couple behaved the way they
did to you?
You should ask them. But I think they behaved so
partly because others had done so before them and others are still doing it.
For a certain part of the population, exploiting children is not wrong.
It is a tradition; it has always been this way and
they do not understand why it should stop. Unfortunately, Linda and Godwin
Okpara are not isolated cases. And today as I am answering your questions,
there are many other ‘Tinas’ who suffer. This must stop! ###
You may wish to know that Godwin Opkara is currently
serving a 10-year jail term in France, while his wife, Linda, will be in jail
for 15 years.
Culled from PMNews report
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