Court remands man for allegedly raping 16-year-old daughter

A Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos yesterday ordered that a 50-year-old man, Gafar Anifowose, accused of defiling his 16-year-old daughter, be remanded in prison.

Chief Magistrate K.B. Ayeye, gave the order after the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge and adjourned the case till June 3 for trial.

Earlier, the police prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen, told the court that the defendant, on March 3, at about 9:00a.m. at No. 5, Faniran str., Ikorodu, Lagos, raped his 16-year-old daughter twice and warned her not to tell anyone about what he did, an offence he said contravened the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Meanwhile, an Ibadan-based businessman, Oluwatosin Bakare, yesterday told an Ile-Tuntun Customary Court sitting in Mapo, Ibadan, to dissolve his seven-year-old union to his wife, Enitan, because she frequently beats him.

Bakare, who lives at Labo Owo, Dugbe area of Ibadan, cited frequent battery and threat to his life as reasons for his prayers for divorce. He expressed regret on his refusal to make a thorough research before he got married to Enitan.

“My lord, as soon as Enitan got into my house, she began to act strange. She challenges my authority on most issues. I have made efforts to correct her misbehaviour by informing our pastor, but rather than turn a new leaf, Enitan’s attitude worsened, making the pastor’s intervention ineffective.

“In October 2018, Enitan, on entering our bedroom, gave me a deafening slap as she followed it up by bringing out a knife to stab me. I, however, managed to escape unhurt. I cannot count the number of times she had attacked and torn my clothes in the church and at other public gatherings.

Sometimes, if I leave the office late, Enitan would challenge me and even beat me on getting home. On November 16, 2018, she attacked me with a chisel in the church.

However, the respondent, opposed the divorce, and was unable to deny most of the allegations leveled against her. Enitan, a laboratory attendant, instead submitted that her spouse was the best man to be with.

“My lord, our pastor is the problem in my marriage to Oluwatosin. The pastor has convinced my husband to marry another woman from his church. I noticed a change in my husband since I had a miscarriage. He refused to show any concern. He started coming home late and also stopped performing his roles as husband.”

President of the court, Henry Agbaje, requested them to provide more evidence to substantiate their claims. He adjourned the matter until April 4 and asked them to produce their relatives.