The
Lagos State Police Command has arrested a man, Ike Iwuanyanwu, for allegedly
raping and impregnating his 15-year-old daughter, Priscilla (pseudonym) at Ajao
Estate, in the Isolo area of the state.
It was gathered that Iwuanyanwu, who was a company driver living on
Anuoluwapo Street in the estate, was arrested on Wednesday after the matter was
reported at the Ajao Estate Police Division.
It
was learnt that the victim had been taken into custody by the Lagos State
Government.
It was gathered that Iwuanyanwu had also
allegedly beaten his daughter and wife, warning them not to disclose the
incident to anyone.
It
was learnt that Priscilla’s mother, however, informed her family members on
Wednesday, who went to the girl’s school to confirm the story from her.
The
case was thereafter reported to the state Ministry of Youth and Social
Development, which informed the police.
A
neighbour of the Iwuanyanwus, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the
victim was the first child of the family, adding that the father had allegedly
confessed to the crime.
She
said, “The man is a driver and the girl is his first child. None of us knew
anything about the incident until he was arrested. The only thing we saw was
that the man beat up his wife and daughter late in the night on Tuesday.
“The
girl was pregnant and the father tried to hide it. It was her school that
informed the Lagos State Government.
“The
girl confessed that it was her father who raped and impregnated her. The Lagos
State Ministry of Youth and Social Development alerted the police and the man
was arrested.
“The
suspect did not deny that he impregnated the girl. He knew the government was
involved and he had no hiding place. We learnt he told the police that his wife
did not allow him to have sex with her and he yielded to the temptation of
raping his daughter.
“The
girl’s mother told her family members, who then went to her school. They did
not know the school authorities would get the ministry involved. The matter was
also reported to some child rights workers in the Oshodi area.”
Priscilla’s mother allegedly took the 15-year-old to
a place where the pregnancy was aborted.
The
pregnancy was said to have been aborted before she was rescued and taken into
custody by government officials.
The police arrested
Priscilla’s mother on Thursday for involvement in the alleged abortion.
The
Coordinator, Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Lagos State, Lola
Vivour-Adeniyi, said the victim was safe in government’s custody.
She
said, “Social workers have rescued the victim. She is now at an orphanage
provided by the state government. We have also called for the duplicate case
file. The girl’s mother was arrested for allegedly aborting the pregnancy. The
police may grant her bail on the grounds that she has a four-year-old boy.”
The
Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the
incident, adding that investigation was ongoing.
She
said, “The man raped and impregnated his daughter, while the mother also
procured abortion for her. The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, has
ordered that the case be transferred to the gender unit of the command for
investigation.
The girl is placed in a shelter because we cannot afford to see her go back to that vicinity.”
The girl is placed in a shelter because we cannot afford to see her go back to that vicinity.”
Tags
Society