A 56-year-old man has allegedly raped his 11-year-old daughter in Fegge, an urban community in Onitsha South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria’s south-east.

The suspect, identified as Mr Okpara, is from Adazi-Enu in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, said the suspect has been arrested.

Ms Ikeanyionwu said the incident went public after an unnamed resident of the area noticed that the victim (name withheld) was “limping”, which prompted the resident to interrogate her.

The victim, upon interrogation, revealed that her father usually raped her every night and that she had not raised any alarm because the father had threatened to kill her if she told anyone, according to the statement.

Continuing, the victim said her father started raping her after her mother’s death in 2020.

She recalled that before her father began raping her, he first became over protective of her by not allowing her to associate with other family members and friends.

‘Suspect’s claim’
The media aide said the suspect denied the allegation, claiming that his daughter’s inability to walk properly was because she fell from their refrigerator.

She, however, said test results from the hospital where the victim was taken to, showed that the victim was raped.

The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Mrs Obinabo, has promised to investigate the matter and ensure that justice prevails, Ms Ikeanyionwu said.

The commissioner said the suspect will be arraigned before the Children and Gender Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka, the state capital, on Wednesday.

Prohibited in Nigeria
Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlawed all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, female circumcision and forceful ejection, among others.

Offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and type of violence committed.

By Chinagorom Ugwu

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