By Oyadongha Samuel
Yenagoa —A 40-year-old man has been arrested by irate members of the Obunagha village in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State for allegedly defiling and sodomizing his 12-year-old stepdaughter.
According to reports, the person had serious injuries, including bleeding, and was sent to Niger Delta University Hospital in Okolobiri.
After being severely publicly flogged by locals, the suspect—who was identified as a bricklayer—was turned over to the State Rapid Response Unit in Dor Akpor.
The incident was described as tragic by the victim’s father (names omitted), who is thinking of filing charges.
When contacted, Musa Mohammed, the spokesperson for the state police command, acknowledged the development but stated that at the time of publication, he had limited information on the occurrence.
“Yes, the suspect is currently with the State Rapid Response unit, Dor Akpor, and once the matter is transferred to the command, I’ll get you the details,” he promised.
Dr. Dise Harry, the founder of the Do Foundation, said Wednesday that gender-based organizations are concerned about the trend, pointing out that two other occurrences of a similar nature were reported between December 2025 and January 2026.
“As an organization, we are once again awakened to our responsibilities as civil society organizations,” she stated. To put an end to child sexual abuse, we must review our sensitization tactics and seek for preventative measures.
“We have documented three instances of child sexual assault since January, and the offenders are the stepfathers of these defenseless little girls. Additionally, there were two instances of adults molesting girls between the ages of seven and twelve between October and December of last year.
All significant players in the battle against gender-based violence must act quickly and together in response to these instances.
“Therefore, we are urging the Bayelsa State police command to look into all of the issues in detail and allow these pedophiles to be prosecuted.”
