Victor Akinkuolie ,Ado-Ekiti
The ordeal of a 13-year-old girl in Ado-Ekiti became pregnant after being sexually exploited by two lovers is currently generating controversy among residents of the State.
The teenage girl until her ordeal was a student in one of the public Secondary Schools in Ado-Ekiti. She was sexually exploited by two lovers Joshua Fapohunda (27) and girlfriend, Odetola Ibukunoluwa (26)
The operatives of the Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ASM) attached to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS,) Ekiti State Command, has begun investigation into the matter and arrested the two randy lovers.
According to the Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Ekiti State Command, Mr Abdulraheed Ademola, through the Public Relations Unit of the Command, said the two accused lovers who are currently undergoing interrogations at the office of the Command in Ado-Ekiti, were arrested following an intelligence report by the officials of the agency on an incident of rape of the teenager on 24th July 24, 2023,
He explained that the operatives of the Anti-Smuggling of Migrants unit of the NIS immediately swung into action resulting in the arrest of the culprits, Mr Joshua and Miss Ibukunoluwa, lived together as boyfriend and girlfriend, including the minor.
It was further alleged that Joshua and his girlfriend, Ibukunoluwa, connived together to drug the minor with dangerous drug suspected to be tramadol tablet which rendered the minor unconscious before Joshua had sex with her.
The NIS added that the 13-year-old was eventually impregnated and taken to the hospital for possible abortion and evacuation of the foetus at a private hospital within Ado-Ekiti.
The NIS further revealed that during interrogation, it was discovered that Miss Ibukunoluwa was practicing oral sex and lesbianism with the minor, adding that the culprits confessed to the crime.
The NIS Commandant further disclosed that the case would be handed over to to the State Gender-Based Violence Management Committee, GBVMC as soon as investigations are completed on the matter.
In an interview with the principal suspect, Fapohunda Joshua, a holder of Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Computer Science in one of the Federal Polytechnics in the State, admitted to impregnating the minor, while she was staying with him and the girlfriend in their rented apartment at Iyana-Emirin area of the capital town.
According to the accused person, “As soon as we noticed that she was pregnant, we took her to the chemist store where we bought Pregnancy Test (PT) . After confirming that she was pregnant, we went to a private clinic. They scanned her and said that the pregnancy was incomplete. So the Doctor told us that for us to save her life, we should pay #25,000 to evacuate the pregnancy.
“And we paid the doctor and she commenced treatment in the private health facility,” he stated.
In her own, the girlfriend, Ibukunoluwa said her friendship with Joshua began April this year and that they were living together.
When asked what she knew about the victim she said, ” she left her mother and came to stay with us. One day she told me that my boyfriend was sleeping with her. I reported the matter to her own mum and my own mum. As time went on, the girl complained of stomach ache and I thought it was menstral cramps, I gave her herbs for the stomach pain because that is what she used to take for her period. But she said she didn’t see her period.
“It was at this point that we began to suspect pregnancy. She suggested that I buy PT (Pregnancy Test) instrument for her and after the test, it was confirmed that she was pregnant and I asked how come? It was then I took her to the chemist again and it was confirmed. She opened up that my boyfriend had been having sex with her several times”
In her confessional statement, the 13-year-old victim who was until her ordeal in Junior Secondary II, described Ibukunoluwa as a friend to her sister, added that problems in her family informed her decision to be staying with the lovebirds.
The teenager later opened up that Joshua had slept with her eight times mostly at night which resulted in her pregnancy.
She explained that she did not notice that she was pregnant until she had stomach pain. “It was Ibukunoluwa the girlfriend of Joshua who took me to a place where I was told that I was pregnant.
“Though, she had earlier noticed that I was pale and emacuated. She later advised me that both of us including her boyfriend would go to a chemist store to buy pregnancy test instrument.
“The test later showed I was pregnant and immediately opened up to her that her boyfriend was responsible for the pregnant. They later took me to the hospital. The Doctor scanned me and suggested that my womb should be flushed.
“She always accompanied me to the hospital each time I visited the Hospital because the doctor asked us to be coming for treatment for it to heal well, we later do the flushing successfully, before the duo were arrested by the officials of the NIS”.
In an interview, the Comptroller, Nigeria Immigration Service, Ekiti State Command, Abdulraheed Ademola, condemned the attitude of the two young lovers and said the case would soon be transferred to Ekiti State Gender-based Commitee as soon as investigations is completed on the matter.
The Ekiti State NIS helmsman therefore urged the public and those indulging in the act to refrain from the ungodly act, he reiterated the readiness of the command under his watch to arrest and prosecute any Gender-based offenders in the State.
