General News of Saturday, 10 June 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

'He forced me to pin his pregnancy on someone' - Woman confesses to being sexually abused by father since age 3

Tanko and his daughter standing before the Donkoto Traditional Council play videoTanko and his daughter standing before the Donkoto Traditional Council

A shocking confession by a young woman has left the people of Donkoto in the Western Region of Ghana in disbelief.

The woman identified as Habiba, revealed that she has been subjected to ongoing sexual abuse by her biological father, Ali Tanko, since she was just three years old.

According to a report by Angel FM, Habiba bravely reported her father's heinous actions to the traditional leaders of the town.

She disclosed the disturbing details of the abuse, which had continued for years without anyone's knowledge.

Habiba, believed to be in her late teens or early twenties, explained that fear and threats from her father had silenced her all these years. However, a dream in which her late mother warned her compelled her to finally speak out.

"He threatened that he would kill me if I informed anyone, and due to that, I kept silent. When I became pregnant, he forced me to pin the pregnancy on someone else, who accepted the responsibility and took care of me until I gave birth. However, he became angry whenever the man visited us. My father physically assaulted me, which led me to flee to my grandmother's house with the baby. Tragically, the baby later passed away," Habiba revealed to Angel News.

Upon her return from her grandmother's place, her father resumed the abuse. He even attacked the man who had cared for her during her pregnancy, causing severe injuries to his eye. Faced with relentless harassment, Habiba sought refuge with the man and eventually confided in him about the true nature of her relationship with her father.

Together, they approached the town's elders to share her harrowing story.

β€œHe came back for me from my grandmother but kept on sleeping with me. He even went to beat up the boy and almost damaged his eye. That caused me to reveal the truth to the boy and he questioned me on why I had never mentioned it. He kept on harassing me and the boy so he brought me back to my father and at dawn he sought to have sex with me again. I run back to the boy and I was brought to the elders to tell my story. So it is true my father has been sleeping with me since I was three years,” she told Angel news.

Initially denying the allegations, Ali Tanko was confronted by his daughter, who presented an egg and threatened to invoke an oath as evidence of his guilt. Faced with this ultimatum, Tanko eventually confessed.

In response to this abhorrent revelation, the chiefs and elders of Donkoto imposed a fine of GHC2,000, along with a bottle of schnapp and a ram, as part of the pacification rituals necessary to address this grievous offense.

Tanko pleaded for a reduction in the imposed fine, and after deliberation, the elders agreed to reduce it to one thousand cedis. The pacification rituals are scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 11, 2023.



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