Lagos: Two fathers arrested for raping, forcing underage daughters into marriage
Two fathers have landed in police hot water for allegedly defiling and forcing their underage daughters into marriage.
Olawale Ibitoye, father to a 14-year-old girl, was said to have raped the teenager at their Ketu residence in Lagos. He also allegedly forced the girl to marry one Moses Okurukpe, who impregnated her.
Ibitoye’s daughter was impregnated in the process, and she only made the allegation when she was taken to a traditional birth centre during labour.
Another father, Ashiru Amusan, was arrested for allegedly defiling his 12-year-old daughter at Akowonjo area of the state. He admitted that he raped the girl once, and blamed the devil.
Ibitoye, while he was paraded by the Lagos State police along with other suspects on Tuesday, however, denied that he defiled his daughter. He claimed the girl was in the habit of fleeing from home.
He also denied forcing her into marriage, insisting that the teenager was the one who brought the man and introduced him as her husband.
“I did not sleep with my daughter. She is learning a trade because she ran away from school,” he said.
“Then, she came with a man saying she want to marry him in person of Moses Okurukpe, who was also ready to marry her.
“I told the man that she has not finished learning her trade and he said I should not worry he will continue the payment which is N5,000. She came home with a six-month-old pregnancy and claimed her husband impregnated her.
“I went to her husband and we both went to our town to see Olisa, the second king. The husband already took her to one mola and she admitted that the mola slept with her, which the mola did not deny the fact too. Her baby died after delivery.”
Okurukpe, who impregnated the girl, claimed he was not aware of her age and did not bother to ask, as she “looked bigger than her age.”
