Two 13-year-old girls endured months of hidden suffering until one girl's sudden illness at school shattered the silence as a 41-year-old man, Michael Ogungbemi, stands accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting his stepdaughter and luring her friend into the same abuse.
Whenever the suspect's wife was away at work, he would, allegedly, send his younger stepchildren on errands to isolate his stepdaughter, a Junior Secondary School student, and carry out repeated sexual assaults on her.
Sources close to the investigation indicate the abuse happened multiple times over an extended period, in Ogbegun, Ikpoba Okha LGA of Edo State.
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Ogungbemi reportedly pressured his stepdaughter to invite her classmate, also 13 and in JSS I, to their home.
After several attempts, he allegedly defiled the friend as well and in both cases, he threatened the girls with death if they ever told anyone about the assaults.
The breakthrough came when the classmate fell ill during school hours.
Her attentive female teacher noticed her distress and alerted the parents, who immediately rushed her to a hospital when medical examination revealed she had contracted an infection linked to the abuse.
Under pressure from concerned adults, the young girl broke down and revealed that Ogungbemi had been having carnal knowledge of both her and his stepdaughter.
The revelation prompted the parents to contact the Edo State Security Corps without delay.
Operatives of the Corps acted on the tip-off, arresting Michael at the scene where the suspect reportedly confessed to the crimes during questioning but blamed his actions on the devil.
The Corps Deputy Commander, Richard Balogun, confirmed the arrest and stated that the suspect had been handed over to the police for prosecution.
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