A 48-year-old man, Charles Ekwe has been arrested in the Ojo area of Lagos for having carnal knowledge of his wife’s 13-year-old niece that calls him “daddy”.
The suspect was arrested on Monday by the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Narrating her ordeal on Wednesday, the victim, who has been living with her aunt and the suspect since she was nine, said Mr Ekwe slept with her on many occasions.
She further revealed that the acts occurred in the suspect’s shop and at home whenever her aunt was not around.
“Each time daddy wanted to do it, he would show me blue film (pornography) on his phone.
“He did it many times. I cannot count the number of times he did it. I was scared to report to my aunty because Daddy threatened to chase me out of the house and kill me if I did,” she said.
The suspect’s wife reportedly noticed a change in the teenager’s demeanour and probed further, during which the victim opened up about her husband’s actions.
The victim’s aunt then took her to a nearby hospital where it was confirmed that the teenager’s hymen had been broken.
The matter was then reported to the NSCDC Gender Unit which promptly arrested the suspect.
During interrogation, the suspect told NSCDC operatives that he only fondled the girl’s genitals. He also admitted subjecting her to watching pornography on his phone.
The NSCDC Lagos State Commandant, Mr. Ayeni Paul, while addressing journalists, said “The sexual abuse suspect will face the full wrath of the law and will be handed over to the appropriate agency for further investigation and prosecution.
“This is a heinous crime and all perpetrators of such, when caught, will be made to pay dearly.”
Reiterating the Corps readiness to combat crime in the state, the Commandant said the corps would not rest on its oars in ensuring a crime-free Lagos.
He also said the ”the gender-based unit of the Corps saddled with the responsibility of handling rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and defilement, as well as child abuse cases, has well-trained officers to handle such cases.”
He, therefore, enjoined members of the public to report such cases to the command, for prosecution.
