Police rescue 20-year-old girl locked up by father for five years

Police operatives, in conjunction with Osun State government, have rescued Opeyemi Olatoke, 20, locked up for five years by her father in an abandoned house at Alfa Fire, Ikirun, in Ifelodun Local Government Area.

The father of the young woman, Samson Olatoke, has also been arrested. A statement on Monday by the Commissioner for Women, Children and Social Affairs, Olubukola Olaboopo, stated that the case was reported to her office by a non-governmental organisation, Value Female Network.

Mrs. Olaboopo said: “The ministry and the police swung into action. We went to the house where the 20-year-old girl was locked up by her father. The father disclosed that he locked up the girl because she was physically challenged. The victim’s mother informed us that Opeyemi’s health started to deteriorate when she shouted from her sleep at age four and since then, she was lame.”

According to the statement, founder of the NGO, Aderibigbe Costly, explained that an anonymous source disclosed the information to the NGO and that the suspect fed his daughter “once in a while.”

Olaboopo urged parents to take good care of their children, adding that parents found maltreating their children would be dealt with lawfully.