A 14-year-old secondary school student, has told an Akure Magistrates’ Family Court, Ondo state, that she was impregnated on three consecutive times by her school principal and clergyman, Adetunji Obatayo, aged 55, and aborted each of them afterwards.
The victim told the court that the principal had been having sexual affairs with her since she started living with him at age 10.
“Four years ago, my parents released me to live with a pastor due to his desire to train me.
“On my first day in his house, he forcefully had sexual intercourse with me and told me not to tell anyone about it.
“He had impregnated me thrice and he gave me N5,000 to buy some contraceptive drugs to abort the pregnancy after many preventive drugs.
”But during the third pregnancy, he refused to give me money for the drug, and I stole his money to buy the pills.
”Pastor later accused me of stealing his money for my boyfriend which led to the arrest of a boy in our school and I informed my parents about his ordeal,” she said.
But Obatayo has been remanded to prison custody by the Magistrate family court, for defiling the 14 year old girl and procuring abortion for her three times.
The parents of the victim had, in 2020, handed over their daughter to Pastor Obatayo who doubles as Principal of the school where she attends.
Obatayo had assured their parents that he would help train her in school.
He was arraigned before an Akure Magistrates’ Family Court on three counts charge of defilement, unlawfully prescribing drugs to procure abortion thereby killing an unborn child.
His pleas, were however, not taken.
The offences, according to the charge, contravene Sections 218, 230 and 328 of the Criminal Laws of Ondo State, 2006.
Presiding Magistrate, B.A. Alphonso, ordered the defendant to be remanded to the Olokuta Correctional Centre and directed the case file sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice.
The trail Magistrate, Alphonso, thereafter, ordered the victim taken in for rehabilitation and adjourned the case to August 29, 2024 for mentioning.
VANGUARD News
