13-yr-old girl allegedly impregnated by 8 men

Maryam was reportedly raped by the eight men which includes her neighbour, an elderly Imam who has molested her severally

A 13-year-old girl has reportedly been impregnated by eight men, including an Imam in Kaduna State.

The teenager identified as Maryam Muazu is reportedly five months pregnant and is a primary 6 student at L.E.A Anchau, Taka-Lafiya in Kubau local government of Kaduna State.

Daily Post reports that the parents of the young girl are considering an abortion to avoid public disgrace.

According to the reports, Maryam was reportedly raped by the eight men which includes her neighbour, an elderly Imam who has molested her severally.

Maryam said, “They usually call me and give me N500 naira when l am coming back from school and when I went out hawking, they usually forced me into it, and they have been warning me not to tell my parents, they vowed to kill me if I dared tell my parents.

“They threatened killing me each time they raped me, that is why I refused telling my parents, I was so afraid that is why I kept quiet over the issue.”

Maryam's father, Mallam Mu’au Shittu, said, “Eight men raped my daughter and now she is pregnant, they usually give her money while some give her gifts to have sex with such a young girl when she goes out hawking.

“They usually give her five hundred naira and have sex with her the way they want it, they merely turned her like sex machine.”

He added that he has reported the case to Upper Sharia Court lkara local government area to seek for justice.

Shittu also explained that for the past five months, they have been unable to rest easy seeing the problems Maryam is facing, carrying a set of twins at her age.

He added, “she is too small to be carrying twins, and there is no single one among the rapists that is ready to take the responsibility as the father of the unborn babies."

“Because of what he did to my daughter, I have stopped going to join them in prayer in the mosque because I cannot follow the prayer of a rapist who wants to destroy my family.

“I don’t like a bastard child in my family, that is why l am doing my best to protect the integrity of my family,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Daily Post reports that the suspected rapists were arraigned before the court on Friday, February 2, and were subsequently granted bail.

The father of the victim also reported the case to a Human Rights Organization in search of justice for his daughter.

Founder of Arridah Relief foundation of Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organization, Hajiya Rabi Salisu Ibrahim, confirmed the situation, saying, ”We received the case in our office.

“For the past two years, we have treated over 400 cases of rape and child abuse but we have never come across this type of inhuman act.“

Another women organization, Foundation for the Protection of Women and Children in Nigeria, has reportedly called on Jama’atul nasurl Islam, JNI, and the Kaduna State government to suspend the Imam from leading prayers and give him a tougher punishment to serve as a deterrent to other clerics in the country