Anambra: Husband recounts discovery of alleged child abuse

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ONITSHA — The husband of 36-year-old Anulika Onyeanusia, who was arrested by the Anambra State Police Command over an alleged sexual abuse of her underage daughter, has recounted how he discovered the incident.

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Ikechukwu Onyeanyusi said he learnt of the alleged abuse after a friend showed him a video purportedly involving his wife and their daughter.

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Speaking in a video posted on Saturday on the Facebook page of the Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, Onyeanyusi said he was returning from his business on Thursday evening when his friend contacted him and showed him the video.

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He said he had not previously seen the video on social media.

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“I saw the video. It was my wife, and I saw my daughter. She was molesting the child.

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“I got a kind of confused and ‘What is this? What is happening? Could this be true?’ Immediately, I wanted to leave, but my friend held me. He said no, no, I should calm down, I should take it easy,” he said.

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According to him, he later confronted his wife, who initially denied the allegation and told him that the video had been generated using artificial intelligence.

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“I came to her, and I asked her, ‘What exactly is this that I saw on the internet?’ She said what? ‘I saw your video molesting my daughters. How come this happened?’ She said no. That it’s not true,” he recounted.

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Onyeanyusi said he subsequently returned to his friend and asked whether the video could indeed have been generated using artificial intelligence.

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He said police officers arrived at the residence shortly afterwards, searched the premises and arrested his wife.

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“Before I knew it, police have already come to my house. They said they want to search. I said to them, ‘Okay.’ So they did all the searching they did, they arrested her and all of us left,” he said.

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The husband said his wife later admitted the allegation while being questioned at the police station.

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He said the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, subsequently asked him whether he was aware of his wife’s alleged activities involving their daughters.

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“I said, ‘No, I don’t know.’ Then they asked her, ‘Did your husband know about this?’ And she also said no, that ‘I didn’t know… he didn’t know about it.’

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“That is when I turned to her, I asked her, ‘Did you do this, really?’ And she said yes,” he recounted.

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Onyeanyusi said the admission left him devastated.

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“I got weak. I got tired. How come this kind of a thing can happen? How can you do this kind of a thing?

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“I just sat down in the police office, I can’t get myself. I was, you know, reasoning, ‘What is this? What has happened to me?’” he said.

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The couple reside in Onitsha, where police said officers recovered items relevant to the ongoing investigation.

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The Anambra State Police Command had earlier announced the arrest of Onyeanusia on September 10 following what it described as open-source intelligence concerning a viral video allegedly depicting the sexual abuse of a minor.

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The command also said four children, aged two, three, six and nine, were rescued during the operation.

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According to the police, the suspect remained in custody while investigators worked to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged offence and determine whether other persons were involved.

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Onyeanyusi said he was disappointed by the development and decided to speak publicly to explain how he became aware of the allegation.

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“I am totally disappointed in my wife. I never believed that she is going to do this kind of a thing, even to the daughter… to her own daughter and to my own daughter. I never believed it.

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“That is why I decided to make this video to the public to know,” he said.

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In a separate video of police questioning, Onyeanusia was reported to have made statements concerning the alleged production and publication of material involving her daughter for financial gain. She

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reportedly blamed the development on the devil and asked for forgiveness, while maintaining that her husband was unaware.

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The police have not announced the conclusion of their investigation or any formal charges against the suspect.

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