Father defiled four-year-old daughter, investigator tells Abuja court

“The defendant’s wife left her child with her cousin who lives in the same village while she went to work on the said date.”

News Agency of Nigeria • October 18, 2023

FCT High Court

Modupe Maduba, an assistant chief intelligence officer, told the FCT High Court in Kubwa that a 35-year-old man, Onyebuchi Ezema, defiled his four-year-old daughter.

The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP) charged Mr Ezema, who resides in Zone 9, Lugbe Airport Road, Abuja, with assault, to which he pleaded not guilty.

Ms Maduba of NAPTIP said this while being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Opeyemi Adeyemi, at the resumed trial of Mr Ezema.

During cross-examination, Mr Adeyemi asked Mr Maduba the time, date and place the defendant committed the offence.

He asked if Ms Maduba knew where the defendant’s wife kept the victim the day it happened and if an unknown person might have penetrated her vagina.

The defence counsel also asked the investigator to describe where the defendant lived and if there was electricity on the day of the incident.

In response, Ms Maduba said the incident happened on the night of April 15, 2020, at Lugbe Zone 6.

”The defendant lives in a one-bedroom self-contained apartment with his son whom he sleeps with in the same room alongside his wife and daughter(the victim).

“The defendant’s wife left her child with her cousin who lives in the same village while she went to work on the said date,” she said.

The investigator added that she did not know if there was electricity on the day of the incident.

Mr Adeyemi asked if the investigator discovered any blood stain on the minor during her investigation and if a fingerprint examination was conducted on the child to confirm if it was the defendant’s finger.

The defence counsel asked the investigator to read out the medical report in court, if it stated that the defendant broke the victim’s hymen.

Ms Maduba responded that she did not see any blood stain on the victim, no fingerprint examination was carried out, and the medical report did not state who broke the victim’s hymen.

Ms Adeyemi, however, applied for a no-case submission to the court.

Following the defence counsel’s submission, Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf adjourned the matter until December 13 to adopt the no-case submission.

(NAN)

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