My Father is the Father of My Baby, I swore an Oath not To Reveal Our Secret

A 40-year-old printer in Minna, Niger State, Lamidi Kehinde, has been arrested by the Niger State Police after his 21-year-old daughter reported to the police that she had a baby for him.

Bidemi Kehinde, reported to the Police that she got tired of being abused by her father who continually forced himself on her until she got pregnant and gave birth to a baby a month ago.

According to her report, she ran away from home after enduring the abuse for very long and sought comfort with a woman who employed her to sell traditional herbs (agbo) in order to nurture her baby.

Angered by the revelations of the girl, the herbal merchant, Sade Adebayo, reported Bidemi to a vigilante group in the area which brought the case to the police in Suleja, Niger State.

Bidemi, who was carrying her one-month-old baby, Eniola, appealed to the Police that she should be allowed to continue living with the woman who she now works for, saying she fears for her life if she is made to go back to her father’s house.

Recalling her ordeal in the hands of her father, Bidemi said, “I have never met my mum but I was raised by my father’s mother until she passed away three years ago. My father took me to live with him in Suleja afterwards and from the very first night in his house, he forced himself on me.

“He warned me not to tell anybody when we found I was pregnant for him, and said that if anybody asked me who was responsible, I should say the father of my child ran away. When neighbours noticed the pregnancy, that was the story I told them because I was afraid of my father.

“One morning, he brought a cup of water to me to swear an oath and said I should never tell the secret to anyone, adding that if I failed to keep the secret, it would result in my death.

“All along, I have been so scared to tell anyone. When I went into labour, he took me to General Hospital Suleja where I had my baby successfully on the 19th of December 2015.”

The girl stated further that after the birth of her baby, her father did not stop the abuse but continued to force himself on her.

In her words: “After the birth of my baby, my father still slept with me and I could not take it any more so on the 4th of February, I ran away from home with my baby and sought help from Sade Adebayo.”

Adebayo corroborated the story saying Bidemi came to her for employment and when she asked her why she wanted to work with a one-month old baby on her back, she opened up and told her about the abuse by her own father.

“I took her along to complain to the vigilante group in the area who took us to ‘A’ Division Police Station,” the elderly Adebayo said, adding that she has decided to take care of the young girl and her baby to spare her any further abuse in her father’s house.

The father, who owned up to the crime when questioned by the Police, was however speechless when this reporter asked him why he did that to his daughter.

The Divisional Police Officer of ‘A’ Division and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Francis Elkanem, confirmed the incident.

He added that “the case is on the verge of being transferred to State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID) in Minna as soon as we are done with all our official formalities for transfer”.