The father of a 15-year-old girl impregnated by a Customs officer in Katsina State, Dahiru Hamza, says he wanted his daughter to study medicine but her future has been ruined.
Dahiru, an indigene of Rijyar Hamza in the Katsina metropolitan council area, told 21st CENTURY CHRONICLE that the Customs officer had promised to take care of the baby when his daughter had weaned, only to leave his daughter to her fate.
“She has stopped going to school for over two years now and even if she wants to go, her friends in the school will laugh at her. Put yourself in her position and you will understand what I mean,” he
said.
A DNA test conducted in August 2021 had confirmed that the Customs officer, Idris M. with service number 47102, raped and impregnated the teenager, Aisha Dahiru, which ended nearly two years of controversy. Aish was delivered of a baby boy, Abdulhamid.
Katsina State House of Assembly had in March 2021, investigated the alleged rape case, following a petition by a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Queen Dijah Women and Children Awareness Initiative signed by an official, Hadiza Suleiman Saulawa.
The petition revealed that the culprits during the melee reached an agreement with the victim’s parents to ensure monthly upkeep of N30,000. However, he broke his promise after he was transferred from the state.
Dahiru called on the state government to help his daughter return to school.
“These are the two things I want Katsina State Governor to do for me; I want him to ensure that justice is done and that my daughter is enrolled into another school away from home. But we have to speak to her because she is depressed,” he said.
He accused the state Customs command of not supporting his daughter to get justice, adding that only a foundation and the media have been helping them.
“That’s why I’m appealing to the governor to look into our case,” he said.
Coordinator of Queen Dijah Foundation, Khadija Sulaiman, said though the culprit has accepted the child as his, he needed to take “full responsibility” for the mother as well.
“We know how hard it will be for the girl. Her father is talking of the education side, which we all know is important. Aside from that, who will marry her in the future?” she asked.
