A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure, Ondo State has remanded a 38-year-old man, identified as Moses Udoh, in prison, for sexually assaulting his daughter.
Moses Udoh appeared before the court on two charges brought by the police: indecent sexual assault of a minor and issuing threats to life.
According to Police Prosecutor Taiwo Oniyere, the alleged incident took place on November 26 at approximately 10:20 p.m. at the defendant’s home, located at No. 20 Igboniki Street, near LAO in Akure, Ondo State.
Oniyere informed the court that Udoh had forcefully had sexual intercourse with his biological daughter on several occasions.
The prosecutor revealed that the defendant repeatedly threatened to kill the victim if she disclosed the abuse to anyone.
As stated in the charge sheet, the alleged acts violated Sections 25(a) and 86(2) of the Ondo State Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law of 2021.
Due to the seriousness of the charges, the defendant’s plea was not entered. The prosecutor subsequently requested the court to remand him in prison while awaiting legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
Presiding Magistrate Temilola Olusola-Olujobi granted the request and ordered Udoh’s remand in prison. The magistrate further directed the case to be transferred to the Family Court, considering the victim’s age, and adjourned the matter to December 10 for trial.
In an interview, the victim recounted how her father repeatedly assaulted her in his room and threatened to kill her if she disclosed the abuse to anyone.
She said, “My father has been forcefully having sexual intercourse with me through my front and my back.
“He started it when I was 10 years old and I cannot count the number of times he has done it.
“Whenever my father was sleeping with me in the night, he would increase the volume of his radio, so that my voice would not be heard by neighbours around.
“He instructed me not to tell our neighbours about it and also threatened to kill me and the person.
The victim added that “When I noticed that blood was coming out of my anus, which is now causing discomfort for me, I decided to tell his sister.
