The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has arrested a 41-year-old father for allegedly raping his 16-year-old daughter. The suspect was paraded at the NSCDC Command Headquarters in Lokoja after the command received a complaint lodged by an NGO on 5 May. The complaint was lodged on a case of defilement, rape, and incest, in which the suspect is the biological father of the victim.
Ahmad Gandi, the state’s commandant, said that the abusive act had been going on for three years from 2020 to 2023, ever since the victim turned 16. Mr. Gandi revealed that the younger sister of the victim advised her that they should either commit suicide or kill their father to free themselves from the abusive act.
The commandant further disclosed that the father had admitted to committing the act and would be charged in court after concluding the investigation. “I actually committed the act but I don’t know how I did it. I love my wife very well; I begged her to come back home, but she never did for the past three years,” the suspect said.
The victim narrated her ordeal, stating that her father had been sexually abusing her since 2020 after her mother left home. “In 2021, my father impregnated me and took me to a clinic where they aborted the pregnancy I had for him. I couldn’t leave the house because of my younger sister as I was afraid my father could do the same thing to my sister. After aborting the pregnancy, he continued the sexual abuse until I couldn’t take it anymore, and I had to report to an NGO who reported the case to NSCDC,” the victim said.
The NSCDC has not disclosed the identity and names of both the victim and the suspect to avoid the victim’s stigmatization. The Executive Director of the NGO, the Islamic Centre for Communication and Creative Thought (ItrippleCT), Abdulrasak Ibrahim, applauded the NSCDC for doing a fantastic job by swinging into action to arrest the suspect. Mr. Ibrahim revealed that the victim was immediately relocated to a safe place from her father’s house to protect her from further abuse.
The Chairperson of the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Kogi, Lilian Okolo, and Idris Muraina, the chairman of the Kogi Network of NGO (KONGONET), also commended the NSCDC for their proactive-ness in handling the case. Ms. Okolo assured that FIDA would ensure that the suspect was brought to justice to serve as a deterrent to other irresponsible fathers out there.
Mr. Muraina urged other victims of such acts going through such traumatic experiences in the state to speak out, assuring that it would be pursued to a logical conclusion to get justice for them. “The NGOs in Kogi would continue to put professionalism into play in such cases to ensure that the right of the girl-child was protected and get justice for her,” Mr. Muraina said.
The NSCDC has urged other victims in the society who are dying in silence to come out and report such cases. The case has generated outrage from Nigerians on social media, with many calling for justice for the victim and other victims of sexual abuse.
NAN
