ANAMBRA: MAN ON THE RUN FOR ALLEGED DEFILEMENT OF 3-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER AS WIFE CRIES FOR HER LIFE

REPORTER: UCHE NEDEKE

Mother of a 3-year-old child, who was allegedly defiled by the father, has called on the Federal and Anambra State Governments to assist her to gets justice for the baby.

The 58-year-old Mother, Mrs. Eucharia Okpalannadi also raised alarm over threat to life by her husband for exposing his alleged defilement of their 3-year-old daughter in Onitsha, Anambra State.

Mrs. Okpalannadi, a native of Amesi in Aguata Local Government Area of the State said she got married to Mr. Magnus Okpalannadi, who hails from Achina (same Anambra State) about 20 years ago.

She narrated that they had five children – four girls and one boy, who happens to be the twin to the defiled child.

The distressed and worried woman told Radio Nigeria that she had dismissed her daughter’s initial complaint of sexual abuse by the father as mere joke until the baby complaint became persistent.

According to Mrs. Okpalannadi, the 3-year-old daughter, complained that her daddy had been touching her private part but Initially, she thought it was a joke and rebuked her to stop such an expensive joke until she noticed that the child’s private part was really not in good shape.

Mrs. Okpalannadi noted that after she concluded observations, she confronted her husband who denied the accusation.

Not satisfied with the response from the husband, the Mrs. Okpalannadi said she took the child to a hospital in Onitsha where the doctor confirmed that the 3-year-old baby had been badly defiled already.

Angered by the development and concerns from close friends and relatives whom she shared the issues with, Mrs Okpalannadi said she decided to make the matter open so that government and private individuals could help her obtain justice for the child.

She decried that her life had been in danger since after the exposure, describing her husband as a hard and cruel person, who would go all out to kill her and the baby because of the exposure.

While providing background evidence of how her husband had allegedly served jail term abroad and became hardened as a motor park tout in Onitsha, Mrs. Okpalannadi, said she wanted him arrested and prosecuted before he could kill her, the daughter and kill himself.

Mrs. Okpalannadi cautioned some persons who were using the matter to score cheap financial gains to desist as she was being taken good care of alongside her twin by the Anambra State Government through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

Reacting to the development, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs. Ify Obinabo, described the incident as unfortunate, assuring that efforts were on to apprehend the fleeing suspect.

Mrs. Obinabo, who noted that the incident was a serious and sensitive issue that had to do with security, said that it was not proper for some people who were just out to enrich themselves without considering the effect of their unconfirmed publications to the victims and security investtigations.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU