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.
