Ikechukwu Onyeanusia, husband of Anulika Onyeanusia, the 36-year-old woman arrested in Anambra State over the alleged sexual abuse of her underage daughter, has explained how he discovered the incident.
The police arrested Mrs Onyeanusia on Friday after allegedly recovering sex toys and other items from the couple’s residence in Onitsha.
The police said the suspect was also being investigated for alleged child pornography and that four children, aged two, three, six and nine, were rescued from the home.
‘I never knew’
Mr Onyeanusia said he only became aware of what had happened after a friend showed him videos of the alleged abuse on Thursday evening.
Speaking in a video shared on Facebook on Saturday, he said he was shocked when he recognised his wife and daughter in the footage.
“I saw the video. It was my wife and my daughter. She (my wife) was molesting the child. I got confused and wondered if that was real,” he said.
According to him, he confronted his wife, but she initially denied the allegation and claimed the videos had been generated using artificial intelligence.
He said he was still trying to establish whether her explanation was true when police officers arrived at their residence and arrested them.
Mr Onyeanusia said his wife later admitted the offence while being questioned at the police station.
“When they were interrogating her at the police station, she admitted committing the offence,” he said.
He said his wife also told investigators that he had no knowledge of her alleged activities.
“That was when I turned and asked her, ‘Did you really do this?’ and she said, ‘Yes.’
“I got weak. I asked her, ‘How can you do this kind of thing?’ I sat at the police station, confused about the whole thing,” he recalled.
Mr Onyeanusia said he decided to speak publicly because he expected some people to believe that he knew about the alleged abuse.
“I am totally disappointed with my wife. I never believed she could do this kind of thing, even to our daughter,” he said.
Investigation ongoing
The police have not disclosed further details of the investigation or whether charges have been filed against the suspect.
Sexual exploitation and child pornography are criminal offences in Nigeria.
Section 32 of the Child Rights Act 2003 prohibits the sexual abuse and exploitation of children, while Section 17 of the Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act 2015 criminalises child pornography.
The Cybercrimes Act 2024 also contains provisions criminalising child sexual abuse material.
The investigation into the Anambra case is ongoing.
