A 13-year-old girl, Endurance, who was allegedly raped and impregnated by a tailor in the Ajamgbadi area of Lagos State, has been delivered...
She was said to have given birth naturally and without any complication at the Igando General Hospital.
The Primary 5 pupil was alleged to have been raped by 42-year-old Lucky Emmanuel from August to September 2016.
Saturday Punch learnt that the victim was discovered to be pregnant by her teachers after she was absent from school for about four months.
The Social Welfare team of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender was said to have rescued her from Emmanuel’s house on Ogunyemi Street, Sabo, Ajamgbadi, from where she was taken to the Transit Home for Trafficked Children and Victims of Domestic Violence, Iyana-Ipaja.
The suspect was subsequently arrested by policemen from the Ilemba-Hausa division where the case was reported.
Emmanuel had said he used to patronise Endurance anytime she hawked plantain chips to his area after school hours, adding that he had known her for over six months.
He had claimed that he was divorced with two kids, saying he slept with her between August and September, 2016.
The Imo State indigene told government officials that on discovering that Endurance was pregnant, her family approached him and he accepted responsibility, adding that he gave them N22,000 and bought drinks to mark their engagement.
He also insisted that he gave Endurance’s mother N2,000 for pregnancy scan and paid for the victim’s antenatal in addition to the N34,000 he gave the uncle as bride price.
While being interviewed by our correspondent during a parade at the police command headquarters at Ikeja, he said although he didn’t know Endurance age, he believed she was above 13.
“I met with her parents that I wanted to marry her and they agreed. We had started some traditional arrangements in preparation for the wedding and I had paid them about N80,000.
“I was surprised when her mother called me on the telephone to come. On getting there, she said somebody reported to the school authorities that her daughter was too young for marriage. That was why the school took it up.
“The girl and I have been together for over eight months now. I had sex with her twice before she became pregnant,” he said.
An official of OPD told Saturday Punch that the girl had been delivered of a baby girl in the transit home.
He said, “Endurance finally gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday, May 4, 2017, at about 8.15pm at the Igando General Hospital. What was surprising was that she gave birth through the vagina.
“She was released to her mother. When we queried the woman about not preventing the act and supporting the illegal union, she denied knowledge of the acts and the collection of various sums from the man.”
The Director of OPD, Mrs. Olubukola Salami, urged parents and guardians to watch over their children and wards.
She said, “Kids can help their parents in business but this also makes them vulnerable, especially as hawkers. Whether the family agrees to marry off the young girl or not, this is still a crime of defilement and abuse of a minor; it’s not acceptable in Lagos State. He has been detained and will have his day in court. The government shall offer all support possible to help her stabilise her life.” //
