Edo State Reports 70 Child Defilement Cases in 2026

The Edo State Government reported over 70 cases of child defilement between January and July 2026, with more than 50% of these cases perpetrated by the fathers of the victims. Eugenia Abdallah, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, disclosed these statistics during a bi-monthly press conference organized by the Ministry of Information and Strategy.

Accompanying her were Kassim Afegbua, the Commissioner for the Ministry of Information and Strategy, and Innocent Bello, the Managing Director of the Edo State Geographic Information Service. Abdallah stated that the minors involved were aged between two and ten years.

She shared a particularly alarming case of a 14-year-old girl who is currently eight months pregnant after being impregnated by her father. The case was reported by a neighbor, and the girl expressed a desire not to have her father arrested, claiming she had lost him.