A-20-year old girl (names withheld) on Thursday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court judge, Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo how her biological father, Akin Isaac alledgedly impregnated and aborted her pregnancy.
Testifying on Thursday, the survivor said her father defiled her at age 17 during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.
According to the prosecution witness, while being led in evidence by State Prosecutor, Y. A Alebiosu, she said prior to living with her father, she was staying with her grandmother.
She narrated that her father asked her to come and live with him in 2019 so she can then go to a secondary school and care for her properly.
According to the survivor, her father who have two wives began touching her body in a suggestive manner.
She said that, “I was scared, so I begged him to leave me but he went to buy a cane, put it on the table and later beat me with it in order to have sex with me.
She said after having his way with her, he threatened to kill her if she tells anyone.
The girl told the court, “I was 17 years old, he said he will kill me if I tell anyone.
“I was in JSS 3 and I am a kind of person that used to sing but I changed suddenly.”
The survivor said she begged her father but her plea was ignored, “I begged him one morning that I don’t want my life to spoil.
She claimed that her father had sex with her again.
“When he did it again, I did not go out.”
She added that her father stopped her from attending her church.
The witness informed the court, “I used to go to C&S church, he stopped me from going to the church but pastor came to beg him to let me attend church.
“The second Sunday, I went to church but he stopped me again and said I should be attending Redeem church and I told him I don’t want to go to there.”
She narrated to the court that her dad seized her phone, broke the SIM so she could no longer communicate with her 27 years old half-brother who she could talk to because they were close.
She said whenever her father beats her, her eyes would be swollen and when neighbours asked her she would lie to them.
Continuing, “But there is someone that I told about what happened to me, he is a guy, who asked why my father beats me often.
“My father also used Gotv iron to beat me and some neighbours even said I should come and live with them while others are afraid of him because he is an OPC man.”
“Then, it happened that I didn’t see my menstruation, I told my female friend and I told my dad that I did not see my menstruation.
“I collected 15 injections for abortion. He bought a medicine, the drug was not working.
“A nurse asked me who got me pregnant but I could not tell her it was my father.”
“My dad took me to a place where there was no light and the pregnancy was terminated.”
“In July, 2020, when I was sleeping, my father was touching my body again but I asked him why he want to have sex with me barely after spending money to abort for me, but my daddy asked me: Are you the owner of the money I used for aborting for you?”
“That night, he came and started beating me and when neighbours intervened he told them that I am his daughter and he can choose to do whatever he likes with me, even saying that if he wishes he could kill me because I am his daughter.”
The incident according to the witness occured at their residence in Alapere area of Lagos State.
Another prosecution witness, Mrs. Modupe Aladelusi, a social worker with the Ministry of Youth and Social Development who works in handling cases related to violence, abuse and neglect of children told the court that she received a call on 17th June, 2020 on the agency’s hotline.
“That week I was with the phone when I received a call from a man who said that the girl said she will commit suicide, that she does not have anywhere to go to.”
The social worker said she went to a police station where a police woman accompanied her to the home of the girl.
Adding that the survivor was later taken to the police station where the police took her statement and while at the station, her father came and he was arrested.
According to her, “When we got to the office, she said her father has once impregnated and took her to somewhere where he aborted pregnancy for her,” Mrs. Aladelusi narrated to the court.
Continuation of trial has been adjourned till April 13, 2022.
