A 21-year-old woman from Ipele in the Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State has accused a traditional ruler in her community of impregnating her, coercing her into terminating the pregnancy, and subjecting her to threats, intimidation, and harassment.
The victim, Ifemide Kehinde, in an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters, alleged that the monarch — whom she described as the Kabiyesi of her town — initially proposed to make her his second wife before the relationship turned abusive.
“Sir, my name is Ifemide Kehinde, 21 years old, from Ipele, Owo Local Government, Ondo State. I humbly seek your assistance regarding an issue between me and the Kabiyesi of my town. He proposed to me to be his second wife and I agreed,” she said.
Kehinde explained that the relationship led to pregnancy, which she claimed the monarch insisted must be terminated under threats.
“We had sex together and I got pregnant. He threatened me to abort it, which I did. I bled for three weeks and he ignored me. He has treated me unjustly,” she told SaharaReporters.
According to her, the situation worsened after the abortion, as she allegedly suffered prolonged health complications without support from the monarch.
“I went to the hospital when I was bleeding. They asked me to do a scan but it was weekend, everywhere was closed. I had to use the little money I had to buy drugs and pads. After taking the drugs for five days, the bleeding stopped, but I have been feeling pains since then, every month,” she said.
Kehinde further alleged that the monarch used intermediaries, including aides and associates, to send her money for the abortion and later intimidate her into silence.
“He didn’t give me the money directly. He sent his civil defence to send it through POS. I didn’t want to abort it, but he threatened to kill me. He said I would go missing,” she alleged.
The young woman also accused the monarch of orchestrating harassment campaigns against her, including giving her phone number to others who allegedly insulted and defamed her.
“This is the girl Kabiyesi gave my number to be abusing me. She cursed me and said I have aborted three pregnancies and that my womb is spoiled. Everything is in the voice notes,” she said.
She added that multiple individuals, including a woman identified as Tomiwa and a man named Kazeem, allegedly confirmed aspects of the incident in voice recordings she claimed to possess.
“There are many voice notes—of him, the girl he gave my number to, his media aide, his civil defence, his friend, even his cousin. They are all involved,” Kehinde said.
She further alleged a pattern of misconduct by the monarch involving other young women in the palace.
“One of the girls said she is tired of him, that he is a womaniser and what he is doing with young girls in the palace is too much. She said she would not come back to the palace again,” Kehinde claimed.
The victim said she had submitted petitions to the Commissioner of Police, the Ondo State Governor, and the Chieftaincy Affairs office but had yet to receive justice.
“Despite submitting petitions, it appears his influence is affecting the process. I have all necessary evidence and copies of the petitions submitted,” she said.
Recounting continued threats, Kehinde added, “He called me on April 1 and started threatening me again. He didn’t allow me to speak and was laying curses on those supporting me. He wants to kill me. Please help me, I am dying.”
She also claimed that police investigations had begun, including visits to locations connected to the incident.
“Police have visited the hotel and the manager confirmed it to them. I also took the police to where I bought the drugs,” she said.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, the traditional ruler did not provide a detailed response. He only replied “Ok” to messages sent to him and declined to answer further questions, including whether he had any comment on the allegations.
