Pharm. (Mrs.) Stella Brown is a mother of seven children and an unassuming practicing pharmacist residing in Enugu, Enugu State in Nigeria. On the 11th day of February 1998, on or about 7.45pm, a band of men later suspected to be hired assassins broke into her residence. To the shock of everyone, these men had a singular mission to wipe her off the surface of the earth.

They callously butchered and tortured her with matchetes and enjoyed watching the deep wounds they inflicted on her arms and legs drip profusely with blood. But by sheer luck or what some will call a miracle, she gained access to a fortified room in the house where she raised alarm by screaming. This caused the asssassins to flee. Also a victim that day was Chio, her little girl aged 10 at the time who was almost blinded by a machete wound just above her eye.

As if that was not enough, on the 27th of the same month, about 11.25pm, the gang came calling again. This time, they were much more in number. They gained access to her residence, gagged the security men before breaking into the house. They beat up six of her seven children and as they were busy with their operation, the neighbours raised alarm to save the embattled family. The alarm caused the men to flee once more.

For Mrs. Stella Brown, it was a big nightmare. She and her family were greatly traumatised and continued to live in fear. The Police could not apprehend the culprits and there was no avenue for rehabilitation for Stella and her children. After her ordeal, she had a brain child to provide rehabilitation for women who have found themselves in similiar circumstances. In her many seminars, workshops and travels around Nigeria, she found the level of suppression and oppression of women mind-blowing and saw the need for the empowerment of women and children.

Stella and her team have used her experience as an inspiration in her quest to rehabilitate the abused, traumatized, distressed and discouraged women and children of Nigeria and to fight and speak out for socio-economic and political empowerment of women and children in Nigeria.

Her story was published under the title - Who did this? Thisday Newspaper - Friday, March 27, 1998 pg 5.