BENIN – A 12-year-old girl (names withheld) who was repeatedly raped by a popular pastor, a native doctor, and a neighbour, has given birth to a baby girl at the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH) in Edo State.
The three suspects who are aged 30, 59 and 30 years, have been arrested by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and would be arraigned in court next week.
A source at NAPTIP said the suspects confessed to repeatedly have carnal knowledge of the girl.
Sources at the ISTH said the young mother was admitted for a case of pre-eclampsia (one of the hypertensive disorders in pregnancy) and she was booked for an emergency Cesarean Section (CS) and was delivered of a baby girl.
The rape victim reportedly lost her father at the age of five and she was asked to stay with the pastor when she was six years old.
The pastor was said to have slept with her repeatedly until she was taken away to stay with the native doctor who also took his turns on her.
The girl was said to have been taken to stay with her aunt and a neighbour raped her severally until she got pregnant.
A doctor at the ISTH, Dr. Eugene Usifoh, in his Facebook page described the situation as unhappy story as the man inside of him left, and that left him in total disarray while almost shedding tears.
“You know what? She is just 12 years old, yes a minor who hasn’t even seen her first menses and since ovulation occurs before menstruation, she probably ovulated and sadly her first ovulation got her pregnant at this tender age.
“I really don’t know the kind of supervision she got from her care givers but one thing I know is that they failed to protect her; they failed to shield her from the wickedness of this world; they failed to perform their duties as care givers and guardians, as such, life got her scared. Imagine being a mother at 12?
“A devastating tale, however, the abused child has the tendency to be abused again, if she isn’t rescued now, she’ll probably have three or more babies before she becomes an adult and that’s if she lives up to adulthood and survives the complications of pregnancy as well as those of sexual abuse and every other difficulties which she would surely face. Think about the risk of contracting sexually-transmitted infections/disease or VVF.
“Therefore, we are appealing to all well-meaning Edo sons, daughters and Nigerians at large for their assistance in order to save this helpless girl and her two-day-old baby.
“Spread the word, there’s a 12-year-old in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua, Edo State, that needs to be rescued.
“Whoever this may get to, please help save this young mother and her baby; help give them a better life,” Dr. Osifoh pleaded
