A 52-year-old retired civil servant, Paul Akpederi, is in
police net after allegedly raping his 15-year-old daughter, Rose, for over
three years. The Delta State indigene, who lives on Adegbite Street, Ori-Okuta,
in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, was alleged to have started sexually
abusing Rose when she was in Junior Secondary School Three.
When the secret got to the knowledge of a teacher, Paul
allegedly changed her school. The suspect was said to have continued the abuse
until she got to Senior Secondary School Two in her new school.
Rose’s former teacher was said to have run into her sometime
in October 2017 and told a friend about Rose’s plight, who then alerted the
Lagos State Office of the Public Defender through the agency’s social media
platform.
Officials of the agency reported the case to the police at
the Owutu division, who then arrested the suspect and rescued the 15-year-old.
A social worker, who was part of the rescue, told our
correspondent that Paul started sleeping with his only daughter after
separating from her mother.
He said, “The man had been defiling his daughter since the
wife left him. She is their only daughter and when the marriage broke down, he
took custody of her. That was when the problem started.
“He started sleeping with her when she was barely 12 years
old. She was in JSS 3 then. They were about to start their final exams in the
junior school when her colleagues found her crying uncontrollably. When they
could not console her, they called the attention of one of their teachers, who
then took her to a room.
“She told the teacher what she had been going through and
the teacher informed Rose’s pastor at a branch of the Redeemed Christian Church
of God, who counselled her. Her father was invited and that was the end of the
case.
“The man, who was desperate to cover up the crime, changed
her school and she lost contact with the teacher.”
PUNCH gathered
that the defilement continued until Rose got to SSS 2 in her new school.
It was learnt that the teacher in her former school ran into
her one day and they had a brief discussion about her (Rose) welfare.
The teacher, who suspected the abuse was still continuing,
reportedly informed a friend, who wrote about Rose’s ordeal on OPD’s Facebook page
on October 9.
A member of the OPD team that visited the victim’s school
said she initially denied the defilement and attempted to exonerate her father.
He said, “She kept lying and when we didn’t get a
breakthrough, we got in touch with the mandatory reporter (teacher) who then
assisted us in trailing her to her parent’s house. The police arrested the man
and rescued the girl.
“They were both taken to a police station. During
interrogation, the girl again denied that anything happened. Her father
suddenly became aggressive and said we didn’t have his permission to interview
his daughter.
“The girl was taken to the OPD’s office at Ikorodu, where
she opened up to an officer. We took her to a home in Ijede, where she was
placed in a shelter and protective custody.”
The social worker who interviewed Rose said she gave a
chilling account of her ordeal.
“She said her father had been sleeping with her since she
was in JSS 3 and he slept with her at least three times in a month. She said he
slept with her in August and September 2017 as well. She explained that he
always poured his semen into her private parts and he never used
contraceptives. She said anytime he slept with her, he would tell her not to
tell anybody. The girl said she could not tell people because she thought
nobody would believe her,” the official said.
It was gathered that she was placed on medication over
complaints that she had yet to see her menstrual period, just as some growths
were allegedly spotted in her private parts.
She was reportedly taken to Mirabel Centre, Lagos State
University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, for medical tests.
The result of the tests, which had been given to the police,
showed that Rose’s hymen was broken and there was “continuous penetration” of
her private parts.
After the victim’s confession, the Owutu Divisional
Police Officer requested that she be brought back to the station.
In a drama that ensued at the DPO’s office, Paul, who had
initially boasted, was alleged to have become humble after being confronted
with his daughter’s confession.
“When the DPO asked what he had to say to the daughter’s
allegations, he said, ‘Oga, I am in your hands o’. The
DPO ordered that he should be taken back to the cell,” a source said.
The Director of the OPD, Mrs. Olubukola Salami, confirmed
the incident, adding that the agency would pursue the case to the end.
She said, “We cannot stop re-emphasising the zero tolerance
of the Lagos State Government for domestic and sexual abuse. OPD is alarmed at
the high rate of incidents of sexual abuse, especially by people of trust. OPD is
not only interested in arresting and prosecuting perpetrators, it is also
interested in curbing this rising trend.”
The Lagos State police spokesperson, ASP Olarinde
Famous-Cole, said the suspect would soon be arraigned in court.
He said, “The case was reported at the Owutu division and
the DPO led a police team to arrest the suspect. The girl was taken to a
hospital where preliminary medical tests were conducted on her to be sure she
was not infected or had any pregnancy or mental issue as a result of the sexual
abuse.
“The case will be transferred to the Gender Unit of the
state police command for further investigation before the case will be charged
to court. For now, we are working with the girl’s confessional statement.”
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