Helen Avwerouso Obi Orijiji: A 20-Year-Old Trapped in a Debt-Settlement Marriage Now Fleeing for Her Life

AT just 20 years old, Helen Avwerouso Obi Orijiji dreamed of a brighter future—one filled
with hope, freedom, and opportunity. But her world was turned upside down following the
death of her father in Sapele, Delta State. Burdened by a lingering debt owed to a 70-year-old
man named Ochuko Umukoro, her family—out of desperation—was forced to give Helen
away in marriage as a means of settling the debt.
What followed was a nightmare. Helen, coerced into this arrangement against her will, was
subjected to relentless sexual abuse by Ochuko. Her resistance or attempts to speak out were
met with punishment. He confiscated her phone, cutting her off from her family and any
potential support, effectively isolating her and stripping away her freedom.
The abuse escalated when Ochuko brought a traditional doctor to forcibly circumcise Helen.
When she refused—unable to bear the pain—he threatened to take her to a remote location
where, as he put it, “no one would hear her scream.”
According to a police report, Helen found a fleeting chance to escape under the cover of
night. With the help of her brother, she fled from Ochuko’s grip and disclosed the full extent
of her abuse. Fearing Ochuko’s retaliation, her brother quickly relocated her first to Lagos
and then to Abuja to keep her safe.
Their worst fears were soon confirmed. Ochuko arrived at her family home, furious and
threatening. He demanded to know Helen’s whereabouts and, under duress, coerced her
mother into revealing she had been in Lagos. Her mother, terrified, warned Helen
immediately—informing her that Ochuko had vowed to send men to track her down.
The threats continued. When his men failed to find Helen, Ochuko accused her mother of
lying and warned that she would face consequences. It was then that her mother, in
desperation, told him that Helen had already moved to Abuja.
Haunted by the fear of being found and brutalized again, and knowing first-hand what
Ochuko is capable of, Helen made a heart-breaking decision: to flee Nigeria entirely. She is
now seeking refuge in a safe country, far from the reach of a man who turned her life into a
living nightmare.
Helen’s story is one of many untold horrors faced by women and girls subjected to harmful
traditional practices. She now seeks safety, healing, and a chance to rebuild her life free from
fear, violence, and oppression.