Tope Ogba on Monday told an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offence Court, that he her husband Mr Gabriel, allegedly raped their two adult daughters.
Led in evidence by K. A. Momoh-Ayokambi, the Lagos state prosecutor, Tope also alleged that her husband raped their underage daughter and almost set her ablaze when she reported him to the authorities.
Gabriel, is charged with sexually molesting his daughters who are 25, 20 and 13-years-old at their residence at Oke-Ogbe town, Atura Bus stop, Badagry Lagos.
Tope told the court that she was unaware of the sexual molestation which had gone on for an unspecified number of years until it was revealed by the youngest daughter.
She said:
“I did not know what was going on, it was when he assaulted my third daughter that I got to know what was going on and I later heard about the assault of my older daughters from people outside.
“When I asked my older daughters about the rumours, they initially denied it, I got to know about the assault of my third daughter from her teacher.
“I confronted my husband, he said that it was a gang up and conspiracy against him by our daughters, I told him that a young child cannot come up with such allegations against him.
“Ever since I confronted him, I have had no peace at home. He beats and threaten me.”
She said that a month after he was reported to the police, he aggressively approached her where she was trading at the Seme border, but she was protected by bystanders.
She added,
“When I got home, I didn’t know that he had a hidden agenda to set me ablaze with petrol. When I alighted from the vehicle, he came out from the bush and started hitting me with a stick.
“I ran to a trader’s kiosk and I noticed that I was soaked in blood; I attempted to call my children on the phone, but he approached me and poured petrol on my body. A bystander rescued me by preventing him from setting me ablaze; I was taken away in a car by the person who helped me who, unknown to me, is a human rights campaigner.
“We went to the Morogbo Police Station and my husband was arrested and transferred to the Agege Police Station. He was thereafter moved to the Kirikiri Prison.
“My daughters were taken to a hospital in Ikeja, where it was confirmed that they had been sexually abused.”
While being cross-examined by E. Obelu, Gabriel’s defence counsel, Tope said she did not know when the sexual molestation of her daughters began.
“I do not know when he started molesting our daughters. I have been the breadwinner of the family.
Following Tope’s testimony, her third daughter who is 13-years-old testified against her father.
During her testimony, Justice Sururat Soladoye, ordered that everyone in the courtroom gallery should vacate due to the witness being underage.
Following the teenager’s testimony, the case was adjourned until March 7, for continuation of trial.
(NAN)
Emeh Achanga,the CEO of the Miss Petite Nigeria Brand is a lawyer turned blogger. She is very passionate about writing, with several publications and awards to her credit .She is currently working on publishing a collection of short stories which are basically a memoir about her exciting true experiences.
