17th November, 2022
Paul Iyoghojie
The Police at the Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island have arrested and dragged to court, a 42-year-old man, Adewumi Ajayi for allegedly having unlawful sexual intercourse with his 17-year-old stepdaughter which resulted in pregnancy twice.
Ajayi’s 32-year-old wife, Shade Ajayi, who is the mother of the sexually molested girl was also arraigned for assisting to abort the pregnancies.
Police alleged that the defendants allegedly perpetrated the offence at their residence located at 52, Fagbayi Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
Police further alleged that the secret of the abominable act became public when the victim reported the incident to her teacher that her stepfather wanted to kill her with sex, pregnancy and abortions.
Following her revelation, her teacher took her to the Police Station to report the matter leading to the arrest of the randy man and his wife.
Narrating her travails to the Police, the victim allegedly stated, “My mother took me along to marry my stepfather after she left my father. And my stepfather has been having sex with me without my consent since then which resorted to pregnancy and my mother assisted me to remove the pregnancy.
“And in 2022, my stepfather impregnated me again which the scan revealed were twins and my mother forced me again to remove the twins with serious pain and my mother pleaded with me not to tell anyone so as not to tarnish my name.
“I later discovered that any time my father wanted to have sex with me he would prepare tea and put sleeping tablets inside to make everybody sleep off and it is when I managed to wake up I find him on top of me and he would plead with me not to raise alarm.
“I decided to inform my teacher of the incident because my mother could not protect me and I am tired of pregnancy and abortions and I still want to continue my education.”
Following the incident, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in charge of Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island directed his men led by Inspector Aderinto Foluke to arrest the Man and his Wife and she tracked and arrested them.
While the man was charged before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court on a two-count charge in the charged marked TC/58/2021 bordering on having unlawful canal knowledge of a 17-year-old stepdaughter, his wife was charged before the same Court on a two-count in the charge marked TC/18/2022 for Procuring abortion for her daughter.
Police Prosecuting Counsel, Inspector Koti Aondohemba told the Court that the husband and wife committed the offence at 52, Fagbayi Street, Ebute-Metta, Lagos.
Aondohemba informed the Court that while the man was arrested for sexually molesting her stepdaughter which resulted in pregnancy twice, the wife was arrested for concealing the matter and assisting to abort the pregnancies.
He said the offences, the defendants committed were punishable under sessions 137, 264 and 145, 147(1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
The plea of the man was not taken and Magistrate A.T. Omoyele directed the Police to duplicate his case file and send it to the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP for legal advice on the matter and that the defendant be remanded at the Ikoyi correctional facility pending the DPP’s advice.
Omoyele granted Shade bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case till 11 January 2023 for mention.
She also directed that the defendant be detained at the Kirikiri correctional facility till she perfected the bail conditions.