A 55-year-old father, Eze Chukwuma, was on Monday arraigned before the Lagos State Special Offences Court for allegedly molesting his two daughters.
He was arraigned on two counts bordering on defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law CH. C17. Vol 3, Law of Lagos of State, 2015.
It was gathered that the father molested his daughters, aged 16 and 17, between 2008 and 2017, at No 2 Agbeke Close, Iyana-Era, Coker bus stop, Ijanikin, Lagos.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Chukwuma allegedly started molesting his daughters after the death of his wife in February 2008.
According to the 16-year-old daughter, the suspect, who allegedly deflowered her in 2008, takes turns with the sisters every night.
She added that one of her elder sisters absconded from home after she could no longer endure the incessant sexual harassment.
She said in her statement to the police, “The whole thing started when my mother died in February 2008. My father brought us back from the village in Ebonyi State to Lagos and started harassing my elder sister sexually; two of my elder sisters were already staying with him then. When we got to the house, we couldn’t find one of my sisters.
“So, I asked my eldest sister and she said that she ran away from the house when she could no longer bear daddy’s sexual harassment.
“My eldest sister stayed and endured everything, because she would soon finish secondary school. My eldest sister later gained admission to the university and since then has not come home, neither has she spoken with my father.
“At a point, I was left at home with my two other sisters and at night, my father would ask us to separate ourselves so that he could sleep with one person first before going for the other. Sometimes, he would threaten to stab us if we refused to allow him to have his way.”
The presiding judge, Justice Abiola Sholadoye, ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Kirikiri Medium Prison and adjourned the case till October 28 for trial.
Meanwhile, a 43-year-old Muslim cleric, Abdulsalam Salaudeen, has also been arraigned before the court for allegedly molesting a five-year-old pupil in the mosque.
Salaudeen was arraigned on one count of defilement.
It was gathered that the cleric, who was engaged to teach the victim Islamic studies, on December 22, 2018, at the Olorungbebe Mosque, Iyana Ile-Oba in the Igando area of Lagos, allegedly lured her to a secluded place in the mosque and molested her.
Our correspondent learnt that a neighbour, who recorded the act, allegedly took the footage to the Lagos State Police Command.
According to the prosecutor, Momoh Ayokanmi, the then Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, directed undercover operatives attached to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau to arrest the suspects and hand him over to the Gender Section of the command for detailed investigation.
Salaudeen, who had earlier been arraigned before the Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court, was re-arraigned before the Special Offences Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Justice Soladoye ordered that the cleric be remanded in the Kirikiri Prison till October 14, when the case will come up again.