Nigerians in recent years have been inundated with strange tales of fathers who have become sexual predators to their daughters.
What makes these spine-chilling tales even more bewildering is that Nigerians are huge on tradition, culture, and religion.
One such disgusting case which left jaws dropping was the case of a father who defiled his nine-month-old baby that was left in his care. And wait for it — he blamed the devil.
Mrs. Nwandu a resident of Ejigbo area in Lagos, left her baby in the care of her husband to get some foodstuff at the market.
She had barely left the house when the baby started howling. A concerned neighbor who was washing clothes behind their window, peeped through the Nwandu’s window to find out why the little girl was crying. To her shock, the baby was being sexually molested by her 45—year-old father.
Unable to conceal what she witnessed, the neighbor told Mrs. Nwandu on her arrival to change her baby’s diapers. When she did, soaked with blood.
At the police station, Mr. Nwandu blamed his indulgence on the devil.
On Thursday, 32-year-old Kareem Sarafa was remanded in custody for allegedly defiling his 11-year-old daughter.
Prosecuting counsel Ayo Olurotimi who said the offence is contrary to the provisions of Section 34 (1) and punishable under Section 34 (2) of the Oyo State Child Rights Law, 2006, told a Family Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, that the defilement occurred at Ile-Ejo Idi-Osun, Papa area, Ibadan, where the man lived with his family in December 2022.
Following a question on jurisdiction however, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs. P. O. Adetuyibi, did not take Sarafa’s plea but ordered that he should be remanded in Abolongo Correctional facility, Oyo.
Chief Magistrate Adetuyibi further held that he will be remanded pending legal advice from the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).
The matter has been adjourned to April 27, for mention.
Also, a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikorodu, Lagos ordered the remand of 43-year-old Bakare Joseph, in Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly defiling a 15-year-old girl.
The minor’s parents who reported the case at the police station said Joseph lured the girl to his room and defiled her.
Prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Olawunmi Osibanjo told the court that Joseph committed the offence on January 23, at No 7, Igbo Oluwo Street, Agric in Ikorodu in contravention of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
But Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A.O Olateru-Olagbegi did not take Bakare Joseph’s plea. She adjourned the case to March 2 and ordered that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
Similarly, a medical doctor, Mrs. Aniekan Makanjuola, on Thursday told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence and Sexual Court how one Idowu Omashegbe, reportedly raped a 20-year-old woman in an uncompleted building.
Dr. Makanjuola, a staff of Women at Risk International Foundation, (WARIF), said the survivor presented herself at the centre on March 16, 2020, for medical examination.
According to Makanjuola, the survivor gave a history of how the defendant and others still at large allegedly dragged her to an uncompleted building, robbed her of a phone, and forcefully had sexual intercourse with her.
The witness was led in evidence by the state counsel, Ms. Inumidun Solarin.
“The survivor said eight days before she came to WARIF, she and her friends were returning from an outing when she overheard some boys shouting ‘thief’ and they hid in a house.
“She said after the boys left, they came out but unknown to them, another group of armed boys accosted them and collected their phones.
“The survivor said the boys also collected a phone from her belonging to another person, and she begged them to return the phone but the boys insisted she must follow them before they could give her the phone.
“She said when they got to a location, the boys told her they would only give her the phone if they had sex with her and she said out of fear, she agreed and each of the boys took turns to have sex with her.”
The witness further told the court that the survivor said two of the boys that raped her, allegedly gave her a chase after she had boarded a tricycle and dragged her into an uncompleted building.
“She said the two boys came on a bike and blocked the tricycle, ordered her out of it, took her to an uncompleted building, and had sexual intercourse with her.
“She said they also locked her up in the building after collecting her phone.
“The survivor said she was able to come out of the building and met some officers whom she reported the incident to, and they followed her back to the building where one of the boys was apprehended,” the doctor said.
According to the witness, the medical examination conducted on the survivor showed blunt penetration of the vagina. Under cross-examination, Dr. Makanjuola said the survivor did not mention the names of the boys and that her medical examination was based on what she saw.
Justice Ramon Oshodi adjourned the case until May 5 for the continuation of trial. (NAN)
