Kunle Adelabu
Paul Iwapele, 35 years, a painter and native of Ondo State who resides at Igbe Lara, Igbogbo, has confessed to raping his wife’s daughter, (name withheld), aged 3, four times since January 2020.
While speaking with THE IMPACT at the Onyabo Vigilance Group Command Headquarters in Ikorodu, the suspect, who is now in the police custody, claimed that he did not know what came over him when he engaged in the heinous act.
According to Kemi, 35, mother of the victim, she started relationship with the suspect about three years ago when her husband whom she was pregnant for died and was in need of care.
The distraught woman, who seemed to have little or no knowledge about the implications of her unfortunate relationship with Paul on her daughter, stated that she discovered wounds around her daughter’s private part about two weeks ago when she started complaining about pains.
She added that the daughter always prevented her from watching the affected parts when bathing her, while she also urinate constantly.
“I met him (Paul) while running around Churches and other places to have safe delivery after the death of my husband. It was in the process that I met him and told him that I was selling clothes”, she stated.
“He came to my shop which was very well stocked. I do not know how he became my husband till today”, the rape victim’s mother added.
“It was last week that I discovered that there are wounds at my daughter’s private part while bathing her. She cannot urinate properly anymore and I took her to the hospital where I was told that somebody is forcefully penetrating her.
“But I was surprised because I don’t go out and l am always with her. I later went to my Pastor who told me that my husband is sleeping with my daughter”, she told THE IMPACT.
“When I returned home, I asked him but he was unconcerned and denied doing such.
“I was shocked on Friday, February 14,2020, when my daughter defecated. I was afraid to see what she was releasing from her body and ran out to an Alfa place where he (her husband took her to and the Islamic cleric also told us that somebody very close to us is the cause of the poor girl’s travails but I did not understand”, the worried mother stated.
She stated further that when Paul was later confronted by an Alfa, he confessed to have forcefully penetrated the little girl.
“He only confessed when the Alfa wanted to beat him. While this was going on, I did not know how some boys got to know about it and they came there and gave him serious beating.
“When he ran out, another set of boys again apprehended him and also gave him another round of beating. It was one elderly man that asked us to come to the Onyabo office”, she stated.
Paul, while speaking with our reporter and other newsmen, admitted to have raped the 3year old girl.
“Yes, it is true that I have been sleeping with my wife’s daughter. She is 3-year-old. I started sleeping with her last month (January 2020) and since then, I have had canal knowledge of her four times”, he confessed.
“I can’t lie to you, I can’t still understand why I engaged in such an act”, he stated when he was asked why he raped the poor girl.
When asked if the girl shouted and felt pains when he was raping her, Paul stated, “Before God and man, she did not have any pain nor shout.
“She only complained of pains around her private part whenever her mum wants to bath her whenever her mum wants to bath her. We have been taken her to places to seek solutions.
“We were at a hospital on Saturday (February 15) and after treating her, the nurse, who examined her, gathered some boys to beat me”.
THE IMPACT gathered that the rape victim always attempted to hold Paul’s manhood in the presence of her mother.
“It is true that she (rape victim) always attempt to touch my manhood but I always restrain her but her mother always queried why she’s attempting to touch me.
“I feel bad. I acted badly in sleeping with the girl”, Paul said when he was asked about his conduct.”
He alleged that the victim’s mother (his wife) always refuses his advances.
“My wife always refuses me whenever I want to make love to her”.
Explaining how he normally have forceful sex with the girl at night while her wife was asleep, Paul stated,” I don’t even understand, but something always happened to me at night when l am sleeping.
“I always sleep with her when her mother is asleep without her knowing”, he stated.
“I beg the government to assist me in giving the girl good medical care. Her mother has been asking me to get her money to take care of her and we should go our separate ways thereafter.
“I accept that I am the cause of what is happening to the girl and l have accepted to take care of her medically”.
He admitted knowing that his conduct amount to criminal offense that can earn him several years of imprisonment.
Mr Olabinjo Olanrewaju, the Deputy Commander, Onyabo Vigilance Group, Ikorodu, stated that the suspect would be handed over to the police while adequate medical attention will be sought for the rape victim
“The victim’s mother came here to lodge complaint and after narrating the girl’s ordeal, I asked my men to get the suspect arrested.
“After his arrest, he admitted sleeping with the girl on several occasions”, the Onyabo leader stated.
“The next step is to take the matter to the police station for appropriate action”.
Speaking on getting medical attention for the rape victim, Labinjo told THE IMPACT that, “Once we get to the station, the human rights section at the police station has some NGOs that they are working with. They will take-up the girl’s matter and she will be given adequate medical care.
“This is not the first or second time that we have been handling such cases”.
He assured the public that the matter will not be compromised as the suspect’s family are pleading that the matter should not be taken to the police.
“The suspect’s family came to beg for settlement and that the matter should not be taken to the police station but I drove them away.
“Here, we don’t compromise on matters. We are going to investigate and hand the matter over to the police immediately. We also don’t just hand matters off, we also monitor the case to a logical conclusion “, he stated.
