DESCRIBE it with whatever adjective; incest, abomination , absurdity etc, one thing is clear: for a father to conceive in whatever guise, strip her daughter naked and sleep with her, the same daughter who is a product of his semen is nothing short of insanity.
In fact, this man (points at him) is a goat. I think if there is anywhere worse than hell, not the Nigerian prisons, that is where this man deserves to go.” remarked an unnamed angry woman police Sergeant.
Staring into space as if lost in thought while betraying emotions, Mr. Peter Okeke a 60 year old Orlu, Imo state born security guard portrayed a vivid picture of the biblical defenceless lamb led to the slaughter; as policemen, women and even visitors to the command rained curses on him for his abominable deed which on the long run claimed the life of his eighteen year old daughter, Adaobi.
All he could do at the commencement of this interview was beg for forgiveness. “I want everybody, even government to forgive me. I know what I have done is bad, but to err is human and to forgive, divine. She was my daughter and I loved her until her death. I did not know what came over me the first day I slept with her. I think it was alcohol.” he lamented.
Investigation revealed that Mr. Okeke the father of six, first had canal knowledge of her daughter when she was 13 and had been sleeping with her until late last year when the girl became pregnant. However, in between time, Adaobi was said to have picked a boy friend simply identified as Lucky and both of them were constantly seen together at Oha village, a suburb along Sapele road Benin city, the Edo state capital.
The lid was however, blown open after Adaobi announced to her lover -boy that she was heavy with a baby for him. This did not go down well with Lucky who was said to have recalled to her girl friend that they never had it bare together; not even once since they started dating.
To satisfy all righteousness however, a blood test was conducted. And the result vindicated Mr. Lucky and of course, left Adaobi with no other alternative than to confess the reality to her mother who had at the time, abandoned her matrimonial home for her Osu village for an unknown reason.
It was therefore, obvious that Mr Peter Okeke was responsible for Miss Adaobi Okeke’s pregnancy! The abominable act was reported at his home town and Mr. Okeke was invited to cleans the land but refused to appear before the elders of his community.
Nine months later, Adoabi delivered a bouncing baby boy but died of jaundice shortly afterwards. Again, Mr. Okeke compounded his sin by secretly burying the baby all alone without consulting his kinsmen. Months after, Adaobi also fell ill and died. But an attempt to have her secretly buried without informing anybody, not even neighbors led to the invitation of detectives from the Homicide department of the Edo state command.
Giving an insight to how he committed the act, a sober looking Okeke said, “Look at me, do I look like a criminal? The girl in question was my daughter and I loved her until her death. I wanted her to go to school but she opted for hair -dressing. I am ashamed of what happened.
Yes, I agreed I slept with her when she was 13 and that was because their mother abandoned me . But I can swear by any thing that I was not responsible for her pregnancy. Until her death, she had a boy friend simply called Lucky, that boy is responsible for her pregnancy. When she told me that she was pregnant I asked who was responsible and she confessed to me that it was the same Lucky.
But since then, Lucky stopped seeing her. Even when she put to bed, I invited him but he refused to show up. I did the same when she died. It was like I was in a world of my own. When the matter of my affair with her was reported in my village, I could not go because I did not have enough money to travel.
slept with her when she was 13 and even that period I did not find it difficult penetrating her which means she had been doing it. On that day, I took three bottles of beer and two shots of local gin called Ogogoro. So when I came in, I just removed my clothes and started f—king her. Adaobi was one of my six children until her death. I think the police is angry because I wanted to secretly bury her not because I slept with her. All I am pleading for is forgiveness; I am sorry.”
What the law says
The offence of incest has no clear cut definition in the Nigerian laws but falls under offences against morality in the Criminal Code Act Cap 77, Laws of the federation of Nigeria 1990. Section 214 of the criminal coded defines offences against morality as: (a) Any person who has canal knowledge of any person against the order of nation, or (b) has canal knowledge of animal, or (c) permits a male person to have canal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature; is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.
The term “against order of nature” therefore, refers to either a father having sex with his daughter, a mother have sex with her son, a sister having sex with her brother, etc etc provided this is done to the extent of incongruity to the order of nature.
In the case of Mr. Peter Okeke apart from being guilty of having sex against order of nature, may also be charged with rape, which under section 358 carries life imprisonment with or without canning; because he was the first to forcefully have canal knowledge of her daughter while at age 13.
Again, he may also be charged under section 329 of the criminal code with concealment of birth and secret disposition of the dead body as he admitted burying the dead baby secretly all alone; which made him guilty of misdemeanor and liable to two years imprisonment..
What psychologist says
A clinical psychologist with the Psychiatric hospital, Yaba Lagos, Maymunah Kadiri says causes of incest is multi-factorial. According to her, “First the mental and psychological state of the person would have to be examined to determine whether he showed any remorse for what he did.
Is he an alcoholic, is he into substance use?, did he show any sign that what he did is spiritually and culturally wrong? If he is an alcoholic, what was the degree of alcohol consumed and what was his intent? that is; having ruled out any underlining medical condition.
We shall also consider whether he suffers from personality disorder, where is his wife? And then we also consider psycho-social problem If his economic status is not good enough, he might find solace in alcohol and of course, do things against the social order. So like I said, incest could occur as a result of multi-factorial problems.”
VANGUARD
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