A 14-year-old girl has accused her father, Olawale Ibitoye, of raping and forcing her into marriage.
The girl was said to have made the claim at a traditional birth centre she was taken to while in labour.
Her father, she alleged, forced her to marry Moses Okurukpe, who impregnated her.
But Ibitoye denied the allegation, saying his daughter, was fond of fleeing their home at Epe in Lagos.
He denied forcing her into marriage, insisting that she brought the man and introduced him as her husband.
Ibitoye said: “I did not sleep with my daughter. She is learning a trade because she ran away from school. Then, she came with a man saying she wants to marry him. The man is Moses Okurukpe, who was also ready to marry her.
“I told him that she has not finished learning her trade; he said I should not worry he will continue the payment which is N5000. She came home with a six-month pregnancy and claimed her husband impregnated her. “I went to her husband and we both went to our town to see Olisa, the second king.”
Okurukpe added: “I was not aware of her age. She looked bigger than her age so I did not bother asking of her age. She came to my house twice. I did not marry her rightfully. I made it known to her that if one is pregnant in my town another man should not sleep with her.”
The police have also arrested another man, Ashiru Amusan, 60, for allegedly defiling his 12-year-old daughter at Akowonjo. The father blamed the devil for the development.
The suspect, who admitted raping the girl once, said he did not know what came over him.
Parading the suspects yesterday, Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal said the cases showed the moral decadence in the society.
According to him, the 14-year-old girl suffered double jeopardy in the hands of her father, who not only defiled her but forced her into marriage.
He said the victim opened up at the birth centre after she experienced difficulty in giving birth.
Edgal said: “This is child marriage; this is sexual abuse and exploitation of the highest order. Both the father and the husband would be charged to court. “There is a similar case of father raping his own daughter which was recorded at Shasha. A woman reported on behalf of the 12-year-old, whose biological father had been defiling. The girl begged the woman who reported the case, for a place to sleep. The woman asked her why she did not want to sleep in her family house and she revealed that her father had been having unlawful sexual intercourse with her. During interrogation, the suspect, a commercial driver, married with grown children, admitted that he committed the crime from April 22 till when he was arrested in May.
“The survivor has been taken to Mirabel Centre for medical examination. The suspect would be charged to court as soon as investigation is concluded.”