Former Super Falcons midfielder and assistant coach, Maureen Mmadu, through tears, narrates her ordeal and that of her players after policemen from the Special Anti-Cultism Group, Awka, Anambra State capital, invaded her academy, in this interview IKENNA OBIANERI

Barbie Anambra State Anti-Cultism Troops have been reported to have invaded the academy, arrested and brutalized you and your players. How true is that?

It is true. The incident happened on October 9 at around 14:15 shortly after our training. We normally train in the morning because we have a camp for girls and boys. It was a Wednesday, the night of the UEFA Champions League. Some of our boys, after training, were just relaxing in the viewing center, waiting for the Champions League matches to start. It just so happened that I was also in the girls’ camp, relaxing, and all of a sudden we started hearing people shouting everywhere, “Where’s Maureen, where’s Maureen?” And when I came out, I saw armed men who told me that I was under arrest. But before I knew what was happening, they stormed the girls’ dormitory and ransacked everywhere, hitting everyone they met with their weapons. It was a scary time, like a war front.

The men are confirmed security guards and how many were there?

They are police and they were wearing uniforms with the inscription “anti-cult”. Those I saw were heavily armed with corked weapons. I couldn’t count them all because they were everywhere rattling and roughing me and my girls, but neighbors and other residents who live nearby said there were up to 15 of them.

How many vehicles did they come in and what did they say is your crime?

They came with about two Toyota Sienna branded vehicles with “anti-cult” lettering and another unbranded vehicle. It was Siena where they gathered me. They never mentioned any known crime I committed to justify their action. They were just yelling, “You’re under arrest.” They never allowed me to speak, saying I must follow them and when I asked, follow them to where? They said when I get there I will know. When I looked around, I saw the father of one of the girls in my academy. At that point he ordered the security guards to bundle me into their vehicle. So they pushed me, I fell to the ground and one of them twisted my arms behind my back, handcuffed me while about four of them dragged me on the ground to where their vehicles were parked outside and tightly inside their vehicle. From the guest house to the road where they parked their vehicle, they inflicted bodily harm on me while dragging me. They first confiscated my and my daughters’ mobile phones.

Where did they take you?

They took me from Ozubulu in Ekwusigo local government area where the camp is located and I thought I was going to a nearby police station. But they drove me to the Ukpo Annex Anti-Cult office near Zone 13 in Dunukofia LG. When I got there, they asked me to get out of the vehicle, but I couldn’t get out by myself because my hands were handcuffed behind my back. What they did was take me out and throw me on the floor in their compound. Even when I was on the ground, they handled me roughly and pushed me here and there.

Who is the man you said brought the security men and what was the mission?

He was the father of one of the girls in my camp. On October 16, the man handed over his daughter to me to join us at the academy. I asked him her age and he said she was 12 years old. I told her that the girl was too young to be at the academy, that she should be at school. The man told me that their school was on vacation, that I should allow my daughter to stay in my academy, that he would come to pick her up in September. I didn’t see the man and he didn’t make any supplies for his daughter, not even a toothbrush, nothing. Even when the girl was on her period, I was the one who took care of it. At one point I called the man and asked him why he didn’t make any provision for his daughter, he apologized and sent some money in July which I used to buy the things that the girl needed, including clothes for the camp. I was the one who practically took care of the girl at the academy. The last time I saw the father was the day he brought his daughter to me, the other day I saw him again when he came with security guards to my academy to arrest me.

Was there ever a grudge or disagreement between the two of you?

One day he called me after I had called him several times about his daughter’s maintenance and said he would send a driver to the academy to pick up his daughter. On the day the driver came, I told the girl to pack her load and follow the driver, but she refused, insisting that she did not know the driver. I called him back to let him know what the daughter said. But he accused me of inciting his daughter not to go with the driver. This conversation took place on October 7th, and on October 9th he brought security guards to my academy to arrest me.

What exactly did he say was your offense?

He wrote a petition against me and submitted it to the SARS office. When they took me to their office, while handcuffed, they showed me the petition, and in the petition, he wrote that I am a kidnapper, a murderer, a cult, a child trafficker and all kinds of accusations and so on further. The petition was dated October 7. I told the IPO (Investigating Police Officer) that these were all false allegations, but to make matters worse for me, the IPO never allowed me to explain myself or hear my own side of the story.

Have you been locked up?

The man who petitioned me insisted that I should be imprisoned, but I insisted that I had committed no crime to warrant my imprisonment. It was in a room where they usually took statements from suspects that they locked me up until the next day. It was a horrible and traumatic experience for me.

As a serial winner of WAFCON, having represented Nigeria at the Olympics and the World Cup, how do you feel about this brutality after serving your country so diligently?

I feel ashamed, I feel so sad, I feel so traumatized. I never thought that one day something like this would happen to me. I have never experienced anything like this and I will not take this lightly because I know that I have served this country with everything in me and someone like me cannot be reduced to doing what he has accused me of. I am a role model in society and in front of young people.

As an international personality, since this incident happened, have any of your former colleagues and football officials contacted you?

Yes. Most of them called me asking to confirm the report they saw on social media and I told them that this is what happened. They were not happy, they were very angry and expressed their disgust that something like this would happen despite all the efforts we had made to prepare the young girls to become future stars. Even my former national teammates described the situation as an embarrassment and a great shame for the country.

This incident happened in October. Why did it take you so long to make it public and what steps did you take to seek redress?

The security guards asked me not to take the press and threatened me everywhere, but now I realize that I should not be silent because I know that the good I do to young women will not kill me. First, we petitioned them at Zone 13 in Ukpo and they called us and told us that what they did was wrong. And they called us and we went to Area 13. But they still haven’t taken action to show these people that what they did to us was wrong and they still haven’t taken action in terms of getting justice. The man shows no remorse.

What is the extent of the damage at your academy?

They destroyed many electronic gadgets, including televisions, at the academy. They attacked my players, both girls and boys, and inflicted bodily harm on them. They also hacked about eight cell phones belonging to my players. The security guards chained the boys and forcibly collected their mobile phones and smashed them on the ground. When I went there, they calculated the price of the mobile phones they destroyed. I have already warned my players to give them the price they bought the phones at and not the current rate. And when they calculated it, it amounted to about 800 thousand lei, but the man said he would only pay 200 thousand lei. I said no, take the phones and go fix them. Then the girls you hurt, go and take care of their medical expenses. They hurt many of my girls, three of them were badly brutalized and are receiving medical treatment in the hospital. They said we should go and come back again. Now they are calling the man but he is not picking up their calls. I told them that I wanted to report the case to the media, but they told me to calm down, that they would solve it, but so far, after more than a month, nothing has happened.

In what areas do you seek justice?

They have to pay for damages in the area of ​​defamation of my character. They should pay for the mobile sets they damaged and the electronic gadgets. And also to withdraw all charges against me with a letter of apology.

How many girls and boys do you have in your academy?

We have about 25 girls and 30 boys.

Was there any documentation done when the man brought his daughter to your academy?

Yes. Everything was documented. Before anyone is admitted to the academy, they must go through the registration process before being taken.

What inspired you to start the academy?

I started it in 2020, during the COVID-19 period. The academy is called Maureen Mmadu Football Kiddies Camp. I was born and raised in Onitsha so I see a lot of girls and I wanted to promote the girl child to nurture them and help them achieve their dreams. I started with the girls. And you know our people in the South East, they feel that girls shouldn’t play football, but football made me who I am today. So, I wanted to use myself as an example and a role model. And because I was born and raised here, I decided to come back home to give back to society, see if we can take care of people who will take over from us and also get them off the streets. When we did the summer camp, over a hundred applied, we picked the talents we needed and formed an academy to help the talented ones pursue their careers.

What are the challenges you face?

I tried to drive it the way it is driven in Europe, but financial constraints were a hindrance. It is financially intensive. I have tried to contact some corporate bodies but they are not available and I am not deterred.

How has this incident affected you and will it discourage you from doing what you do?

It didn’t discourage me in any way. It can only stimulate me. Because the fact that this happened does not mean that I should be discouraged because I know that I am doing something for the future of children.

Can you remember some of your best and worst moments as a footballer?

My regrettable moment I would say was not winning the Women’s World Cup. And my memorable moment was the 1999 World Cup, the first time we played in the quarter-finals, which qualified us for the Athens 2000 Olympics. We also won WAFCON several times.

What was your worst match?

It was when Norway beat the Super Falcons 8-0. My best match was our match against Thailand at the Athens 2000 Olympics.

Do you have any message for the authorities regarding what you have passed into the hands of the security agents?

I am only appealing to the federal and state governments including stakeholders and sports lovers to fight for me so that we get justice because no one knows who may be tomorrow. It’s not about being a star, it’s about doing the right thing, everyone deserves their respect regardless of their status. They broke my arms and gave me wounds. No one deserves such treatment in their own country. No one should be intimidated. What happened to me, if I keep talking about it, I’ll keep shedding tears.