The members of a vigilante group have arrested a painter, Paul Iwapele, for defiling his 3-year-old stepdaughter at Ikorodu, Lagos State.
The victim’s mother, Kemi was said to have from the Benin Republic to Lagos State with the pregnancy which was about four months old then. She was pregnant for a man who died a few months into the relationship and that pushed her into relocating.
Kemi was said to have met Iwapele, who promised to take care of her and the pregnancy, which was four months old at the time, PUNCH Metro reports.Kemi later gave birth to the child while living with the Ondo State indigene.
It was gathered that Iwapele, however, defiled the three-year-old.
Kemi, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Sunday, demanded justice for her daughter.
The 35-year-old said she became suspicious after observing her child touch Iwapele in a strange way, adding that she later discovered that he had been sleeping with her.
The Beninoise said the suspect, when confronted, denied the allegation.
She said, “I was bathing my daughter when she started telling Iwapele to look at her private parts. I became curious and asked why she would be making such statements to him. She even went ahead to touch him in his private parts and told me that Iwapele usually put his hands in her private parts as well.
“She usually complained of pain when I bathed her and when I checked her private parts, I discovered that they had peeled. She was also running a temperature; she complained of stomach ache and her stomach was swollen.
“When I took her to a hospital, I was told that she would undergo an operation, but I refused to go back because I was scared. I went to meet my pastor and he told me that someone had been sexually molesting my daughter.
“I don’t go out; I am always indoor. So, I don’t know how someone would do such a thing without my knowledge. I asked him, but he denied until we went to a Muslim cleric’s place, where he was challenged until he confessed to the crime.
Iwapele, confessed to the crime, saying since January 2020, he had had carnal knowledge of the victim four times.
