The Lagos State police command is investigating circumstances
surrounding the alleged defilement of a 14-year-old girl by her
45-year-old father, one Olawale Ibitoye in Ketu-Epe area of Lagos.
It was gathered that Ibitoye who had been defiling his daughter since
she was aged eight, had subsequently married her off to one Moses
Okurukpe.The Commissioner of Police, Imohimi Edgal, who disclosed this
to newsmen yesterday, said the incident came to the fore when the victim
became pregnant, was taken to a traditional medical home where she
laboured for days before she was delivered of a stillbirth. “This is
child marriage, sexual abuse and exploitation of the highest order,” he
fumed.
Contrary to the alleged crime, Ibitoye denied having any incestuous
act with his daughter. Giving his own side of the story, he said: “When
she was in SS1 she suddenly stopped going to school, but because I
wanted her to be useful in life, I enrolled her in a sewing institute.
She was in the habit of going out for days without returning home and
when I challenged her, she would raise her voice at me.
“She later brought Okurukpe home that she wanted to marry him. I told
her I am not against her marriage but I wanted her to finish her
training. So, she ran out of the house for a long time and when she came
back, she returned with a six months old pregnancy. I asked who was
responsible and she said it was Okurukpe. I called the man and informed
him and he didn’t deny it. When she was nine months gone, she couldn’t
deliver.
“She later confessed that inspite of the fact that her husband had
warned her not to have any sexual relationship with any other man while
pregnant, she had had sex with two other persons which was a taboo in
Okurukpe’s place.
“They did the needed traditional acts and she was taken to a hospital
where she gave birth but the baby died. It was later she started saying
the nonsense that I had been sleeping with her. I didn’t sleep with
her, she is my daughter and I trained her. Why would I do such
wickedness?” he asked.
On his part, Okurukpe said: “Although I hadn’t paid her bride price, I
was taking care of her. With the little I was getting from my farm work
and motorcycle business I made sure she didn’t lack anything, but she
betrayed me with her promiscuity. She had sex with other men while
pregnant and that was why she had difficultly in delivering the baby. It
was while she was having difficult delivering that she confessed that
her father had been sleeping with her.”
Similarly, the police have also arrested one Ashiru Amusat for having
canal knowledge of his 12-year-old daughter, Boluwatife. Police
investigation into the matter revealed that the mother of the victim had
separated from her father just after her birth. She was brought up by
her grandmother but in April 2018, went to live with her father.
Amusat attributed his act to the devil saying the daughter had also
consented to the act. Edgal stated that the case was brought to the
knowledge of the police by members of the public.
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