The police in Ogun State have arrested a 42-year-old man, Taofeek Oyeyemi, for allegedly impregnating his 16-year-old daughter.
The suspect, a father of 17 children with different mothers, according to a statement by the command’s spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi in Abeokuta on Thursday, was arrested following a complaint from the mother of the victim at Ewekoro Police station.
The victim’s mother reported to the police that her daughter, who had been living with her ex-husband informed her that she was impregnated by her father who also took her to a quack medical practitioner for abortion.
She further explained that, since the abortion was carried out, the girl had been bleeding.
“On the strength of the report, the DPO Ewekoro division, Rotimi Jeje detailed his JWC section to go after the suspect and he was eventually arrested,” Oyeyemi said.
The suspect, on interrogation confessed to have slept with the victim several times which resulted to her pregnancy “and in order for his secret not to be exposed, he decided to take the girl for abortion,” he said.
According to the police, preliminary investigation revealed that the victim’s mother had separated from the suspect years back and the victim had been living with her until about six months ago when the suspect forcefully took the girl away from her.
“All efforts by the mother to take custody of her daughter proved abortive. It was when the mother came to visit her daughter that she discovered the great atrocity committed by the suspect against her daughter,” the statement added.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, has directed that the suspect be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation and prosecution.
