The police in Lagos have arrested a painter for alleged defilement of his three-year-old stepdaughter.
Paul Iwapele, a resident of Igbelara in Ikorodu was arrested Sunday night after his wife Kemi Dhonu, a Beninnoise, accompanied by the head of local vigilante group Onyabo Lanre Labinjo, reported a case of serial sexual assault at the police station.
It was gathered that Iwapele who married the woman when she was four-month-pregnant with the child (names withheld) was exposed after the girl told her mother he usually touched her private part.
The Nation gathered that the woman alleged that while bathing the girl, she called on Iwapele to come and see her private part, a demand she found to be strange.
She added that the child had always complained of pains whenever she washed her private part while bathing her but she never knew that the infant was being sexually abused by her husband.
“The woman said she married Iwapele when she was four-months-pregnant after the man who impregnated her died. She came to Lagos from Benin Republic and met the man bought he died four-months into their relationship.
“Then, the painter promised to take care of her and treat the unborn baby as his. But she became suspicious when she found out that her daughter was touching her husband inappropriate.
“She said she SAS bathing her daughter that Sunday when she started telling Iwapele to look at her private parts. So, she asked her why she made such request and the girl went ahead to touch her husband’s private part and said he usually part his into hers.
“She said the girl said he used to put his hands into her private part too. She said she quickly checked her and discovered there were bruises inside of her and that she was running temperature,” said a source.
It was learnt that the girl complained of stomach ache which made her rush her to the hospital.
The woman who said she refused to return to the house but went to her pastor’s place, told the police the vigilante got involved when the matter was referred to the Muslim cleric in their neighbourhood following his denial when she confronted him.
“I do not go out; I am always indoor. So, I do not know how someone would do such a thing without my knowledge. I asked him, but he denied until we went to an Alfa’s place.
“He was challenged until he confessed to the crime. He said he has done it four times since January. We had to bring him to the police station when the Onyabo group got involved,” she said.
In his statement to the police, the suspect admitted he has done it four times and usually at midnight.
“I have been having sex with her since January and have done it four times. I do not know what used to make me do it at midnight.
“When I discovered that her private parts were peeling, I had to stop and it was around that period that people got to know about it and started beating me.”
Confirming the arrest, police spokesman Bala Elkana said the suspect would be transferred to Gender Unit at the State command for investigation and prosecution.
“The woman was led to the station by some members of Onyabo. She reported that her husband was having sexual intercourse with her three-year-old daughter.
“The victim was taken to Mirabel Center Ikorodu for test and treatment. The suspect is in custody. Preliminary investigation is ongoing and the case would be transferred to Gender Unit for in-depth investigation,” said Elkana.
He said detectives with the help of Aga community members at Ikorodu, arrested one Emeka Anyika who confessed to belonging to a three-man syndicate specialised in robbing passengers with their operational Jetta car with registration number KTU423DR.
“They used to obtain money under false pretences from their victims. Their operational vehicle was recovered. A woman fingered him and others still at large to have robbed her at gunpoint and collected her ATM cards, I-tel phone.
“She said she was forced to disclose her pin which the robbers used to withdraw N549,000 from her accounts. Preliminary investigation is ongoing.
“The case would be transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) for in-depth investigation,” he said.
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