An individual from Anambra, Uzochukwu Okoli, was apprehended for allegedly coercing his underage daughters into marriage and has now warned them of consequences upon his release from custody.
Expressing his threats at the office of the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Ify Obinabo, who facilitated his detainment, Okoli made his stance clear.
The arrest was prompted by a report filed by one of his daughters to the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, citing mistreatment by her father and being compelled into marriage.
Chioma Okoli, one of the daughters claiming to be 16, disclosed that their father relocated them from Edo State, where they were schooling, with the sole purpose of marrying them off.
Accompanied by her elder sister to the Ministry, Chioma narrated her distressing encounters stating that she was initially forced to cohabit with a septuagenarian at the tender age of 14. Eventually, her father arranged for her marriage to a 34-year-old man, Chinedu Nweke.
Recalling her ordeal, Chioma voiced, “After our mother’s passing, our father brought us back from Edo State, where we attended school, to find suitable husbands.
“Initially, he compelled me to stay with a 70-year-old man at the age of 14. Subsequently, he gave me away in marriage to a 34-year-old, Chinedu Nweke.
“Living with Chinedu has been nothing short of a nightmare as he subjects me to physical abuse and even degrading acts like urinating in my mouth. Fearing for my safety, I fled with my 9-month-old child.”
The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, directed that the case be presented in court to secure justice for the victims and advocated for parents to be attentive to their children’s welfare, cautioning against premature marriages that could ruin their futures.
Despite being unable to accurately state his daughters’ ages as he was escorted away in restraints, the suspect threatened retaliation against them upon his potential release from detention.
In a show of bravado, he asserted, “Wish me ill fortune in prison, for upon my return, I shall certainly exact punishment on you all. I intend to escalate your misery,” he firmly declared.
Both Okoli and the husband, Nweke, whom he arranged for his daughter, have been detained and are set to face legal proceedings soon, as communicated by the commissioner.