The Enugu State Government has confirmed the arrest of a man, Ozioma Okonkwo, accused of defiling his two biological daughters, aged two and five.
Okonkwo, an indigene of Imo State residing in Enugu, was apprehended on Saturday night, October 25, 2025, following a tip-off from a concerned resident who reported the incident to authorities.
The state Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development announced the arrest in a statement issued on Sunday. It said the suspect is currently in police custody and will be arraigned once investigations are completed.
According to the ministry, the two children have been relocated to a government-approved shelter, where they are receiving medical treatment and psychosocial care. Their mother, described as severely traumatised, is also receiving counselling under the ministry’s social welfare and psychological support team.
The statement commended the Nigeria Police Force for its swift response, which led to the suspect’s prompt arrest. It reaffirmed the state government’s zero-tolerance stance on sexual and gender-based violence, stressing that offenders would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Condemning the act as “a heart-wrenching and unacceptable crime against innocence,” the ministry restated Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s commitment to protecting children and ensuring that perpetrators of sexual violence are brought to justice.
“No child should ever have to suffer such trauma, especially from those entrusted with their care and protection,” the statement added.
The government also commended vigilant citizens for helping authorities respond quickly and urged continued cooperation in efforts to defend the rights and dignity of women and children in Enugu State.
It recalled that in 2022, another father, Michake Ogbar, was sentenced to three life terms for raping and defiling his three daughters aged 10, 20, and 24, offences that contravened Sections 137 and 258(1) of the Lagos State Criminal Law, 2015.
