2 children aged three and five, were staying with their father, Ayodele Ekundayo, who worked in a cement factory in the Fagba area of the state. Their father reportedly left the sisters in the care of his five co-workers, who also lived in the factory with him.
The men, whose ages ranged from 24 to 33, allegedly took advantage of the girls and raped them.
Ekundayo said he discovered the rape after his daughters started complaining of pains in their private parts.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Lola Akande, said the children had been rescued from the abusive environment and taken to one of the state’s homes for children for proper rehabilitation and care.
The suspects have since been arrested and paraded by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
In a statement on Thursday, Akande said the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation had taken custody of the victims, and would be responsible for their upkeep and education.
“The ministry is working with the NSCDC to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime do not go scot-free and are prosecuted according to the law of the state,” she added.
She commended the organisation that brought the children’s plight to public attention and urged Lagos residents to be vigilant and report any case of child abuse or domestic violence in their vicinity to the ministry.
The commissioner, promised that the ministry would assist parents whose circumstances made their children easy targets to molestation. She also encouraged parents and guardians to monitor their children's activities all the time.
In regards to the children's father, she said:
“This present administration will assist the victims’ father to be gainfully employed by enrolling him in one of the ministry’s skill acquisition centres to learn a vocation after which he will be empowered to practise the trade upon the completion of his training,” she added.
Punch
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