The crime was allegedly committed at Moniya in Akinyele Local Government Area of the state.
Though the suspect, a herbalist, denied the incest allegation, saying he was being held for a crime he did not commit, the confessions of the four girls took many people at the state police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan by surprise as they narrated how the father had sex with them at different times.
While parading the suspect, identified as Tajudeen Awoniyi, Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Muhammed Katsina, said the accused person had carnal knowledge of his own daughters whenever he was drunk.
The commissioner alleged that the suspect would give black soap to the other two nieces before
having sexual intercourse with them one after the other.
- Nieces’ story
Vanguard reports that while speaking with newsmen yesterday, one of the victims (names withheld), said:
“My sister and I are the nieces to Tajudeen Awoniyi. His daughters came to our house and asked us to follow them to their place. On getting there, her father told us he would give us soap by midnight which we must use to bathe.
Around 1a.m., he woke me up, gave me a black soap and asked me to go and take my bath. After taking my bath, I went to him and he placed something under his tongue and asked me to sleep on a bench.
He had sex with me. Afterwards, I was bleeding and he asked me to go to bed. By morning, he sent my sister and me out of his house.”
The sister, who is about 16 years old, corroborated the story, saying:
“after taking my bath at night, he tied my mouth with cloth so that people would not hear me when I cried. He had sex with me afterwards and by morning he sent me out of his house.”
- He’s been sleeping with me since last year—Daughter
One of his daughters also said:
“My father has been sleeping with me since last year. Whenever he comes home drunk, he sleeps with me and my sister (names withheld). He had slept with me three times now since last year.”
- He once threatened my mother with cutlass—Sister
The suspect’s sister said:
“When I came back from where I travelled to, I did not meet my daughters at home. So I asked the people around and I was told that my brother’s children came to my house and my daughters went out together with them.
I said they could not have slept in my brother’s place because it has been a while I saw him. The next day as I was about to pray around 6:30a.m., my brother showed up.
I was scared because I usually get scared when I see him since the day he threatened my mother with cutlass to release his children for him when they were still little. So he told me that my daughters slept in his place and he had asked them to go back the next day. It was not until the third day that I saw my daughters. Someone staying around brought them home.
One of them was holding her tummy. I later took them to the hospital where we found out about the incident and I had to call the police.”
The victims, who dared their father and told the police the whole story, further explained that they kept sealed lips for fear of being beaten by the herbalist.
