A middle -aged man , Joseph Sunday , has been arrested by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for allegedly raping his two daughters in Ibeskpo Asutan Local Government area of the state.
The suspect, a resident of Oboy Ideng community , is believed to have had carnal knowledge of his daughters, aged nine and 13, after his wife separated from him .
A police source, who confirmed the rape, said the suspect was arrested by the command following reports against him by his 13-year -old daughter.
It was gathered that the daughter reported the illicit affair to the police after the father scolded and beat her up , having suspected a love affair between her and another man.
Upon his arrest , the suspect allegedly confessed to the crime , claiming that he wanted to test the potency of his manhood.
“My wife left me some years ago because of some family issues and relocated to Rivers State. I have been the only one taking care of my daughters. I just wanted to test if my manhood was still functional , ” he was quoted to have said.
In a related development , two men suspected to be in their 70s, allegedly raped a 14-year -old girl in the state.
The first suspect reportedly claimed that the victim was his wife , adding that they met in a market and got married.
He added that the girl moved into his house and when he went out, his friend had sex with her .
The suspects, it was gathered , had been sleeping with the girl until they had a disagreement and the secret blew open.
They were arrested after one of their neighbours reported to the police .
“I was shocked when I overheard the two old men arguing over sex with the 14-year -old girl . The one that the girl stayed with accused his friend of always sneaking in to sleep with her any time he went out.
“I was worried and I decided to report them to the police . But the issue is that some boys , who said they are from the area , are threatening to deal with me if I don ’ t withdraw the case from the police , ” the neighbour said.
The victim, it was gathered , had become pregnant without knowing the man responsible for the pregnancy.
The state police command said it was making effort to trace the girl ’ s family , adding that the victim had been taken to the Family Enhancement and Youths Reorientation Centre , a pet project run by the governor ’ s wife , Martha Emmanuel .
The police spokesman , Odiko MacDon , said all the cases would be charged to court.
He described rape as the height of moral decadence and called for attitudinal reorientation .
MacDon urged people to report perpetrators to the police.
“The command is seriously tackling issues of rape, defilement and gender -based violence . Some of the suspects are in police ’ custody , some charged to court , some under investigation , while some have been convicted by the court , ” he added .