Dad Begs For Forgiveness For Defiling His Daughters.

LAGOS - Policemen attached to Ikotun division in Lagos have arrested a man alleged to have been having carnal knowledge of his two daughters between the ages of 10 and 13, in the past two years.

His daughters reportedly claimed to have been going through what they described as horrible experience since their mother left them for another man.

Unable to resist their father, they endured until the elder girl confided in her friend's mother, who then contacted some child rights groups.

The organisations were said to have effected the man's arrest at his 29, Omooye Street, Abaranje, last Saturday and handed him over to policemen at Ikotun division.

Explaining, the elder child (names withheld) said: "Our father started it when I was 11 years old. I did not know he was doing same to my sister who was then eight years.

I only got to know when I saw her blood stained undies and when I demanded to know whether she had started seeing her monthly flow, she revealed that our father slept with her the previous night. He usually crept to either of us at night whenever he wanted to satisfy his urge. He was the one who dis-virgined us."

I beg to be forgiven -Suspect

On his part, the 35-year-old suspect , a commercial bus driver identified as Adewale Adeleke, admitted to the police that he committed the sacrilegious act. He claimed, however, that he did not know what usually comes over him at that point.

Hear him: "I beg to be forgiven. This is the handiwork of the devil because I do not know what usually comes over me. What usually happened was that the urge would just come and before I know it, I would be with either of them."

When news of the act reached the mother of the children who resides in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, she reportedly rushed to Lagos, where she was quoted as saying that she was shocked beyond words.

She reportedly said she was forced to leave her husband because of alleged battering, in spite of the fact that she was the one responsible for the upkeep of the home. She said while leaving, she handed her two children to her mother with the intention of sending them monthly allowance, only for their father to go and take them.

Executive Director of Esther Child Rights Foundation, Mrs. Esther Ogwu, said her foundation was making effort to ensure that the woman would take custody of her children, adding also that the arrest of the suspect was a first step to ensure that justice was done.

The two girls are now under police protection while their father will be arraigned at the Ejigbo Magistrate's Court by the police.

When contacted, Lagos State Police Command, Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Ngozi Braide confirmed the arrest of the suspect, saying that he would be arraigned in court soon.