A 48-year-old man, Charles Ekwe, has been arrested by officials of
the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corp (NSCDC) for sexually abusing
his wife’s 13-year-old niece.
The spokesperson for the agency,
Bada Kehinde Mary, said the suspect started abusing the 13-year-old
before the COVID-19 lockdown and she was scared to report to her aunty.
In
her statement, the victim said her uncle who she calls ‘daddy’ started
sexually assaulting her early this year and does that whenever her aunty
leaves the house and also at his shop where he trades.
She
also said that he exposed her to pornography on his phone and had
threatened to kill her if she tells anybody. This assault has occurred
on several occasions and she has lost count.
The victim’s aunty,
Mrs Blessing Ekwe, in her statement, said her niece has been living with
them for the past four years after the death of the victim’s father and
that she noticed something was wrong three weeks ago, which prompted
her to interrogate her before she opened up by telling her that the
suspect had been sexually abusing her.
She
then took her for medical examination and it was confirmed that she had
been defiled. The suspect admitted to committing the crime but insisted
he only fondled her genitals and made her watch pornography on his
phone.
The Lagos commandant, Mr. Ayeni Paul, said the suspect
will face the full wrath of the law and will be handed over to the
appropriate agency for further investigation and prosecution.