Herbalist who turned his daughter to sex slave, impregnated her, and made her abort is sentenced to 21 years in jail

The case against a father, who raped his teenage daughter multiple times in Edo state and made her have abortions, has finally come to an end months after two activists and the abused daughter died in an accident while going to court .

Jacob Alonge, 52, a herbalist who operates in Edo state, was on Thursday, August 1, sentenced to 21 years in jail for the abuse he subjected his 17-year-old daughter – Gift Alonge – to for years.

Jacob Alonge constantly had sex with his daughter at their home in Ososo village, Akoko-Edo, Edo state. He was eventually arrested and charged when he got her pregnant a second time but couldn’t succeed in aborting the baby.

While the case was in court, Gift died in an accident along with four others who were going to court with her. Those who died alongside Gift are her uncle, Rhoda and Promise, who were workers of an NGO named Brave Heart Initiative, helping the abused girl seek justice, and the cab driver (read here).

Jacob was accused of repeatedly raping his daughter, impregnating her, procuring abortion for her and shaving the hairs in her private part. He also told her not to have sex with any other man as he turned her to his sex slave. 

Jacob pleaded guilty to the charges against him and was to be sentenced on the day his daughter died. But he changed his plea only moments after his daughter and four others were killed in a car crash as they were on their way to court for the sentencing (read here). Mr Alonge pleaded not guilty to the charges.

However, the court on Thursday concluded his trial and sentenced him to five years on the first count of possession of fetish wrap of Gift’s pubic hair. He was sentenced to two years for raping and impregnating her and 14 years for repeated sexual assault.

The counts will run consecutively.