Torture, sodomy of Ejigbo women: Police arrest 12, declare 4 wanted

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) yesterday, stated that it has arrested 12 suspects in connection with the alleged torture and sodomy of three females at the Oba Morufu International Market, Ejigbo Lagos State, while four others who are still in hiding have been declared wanted.

The victims; two young girls and their mother, were tortured and sodomised in February 2013 by some security guards at the market.

One of the girls, identified as Juliana Agoma, reportedly died in Benin Republic where she was taken to for treatment after the torture. It is alleged that the deceased may have died as a result of the torture.

The suspects were presented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), in charge of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Mr.  Chris Ezike, at the Adeniji Adele Police Station, Lagos Island.

It will recalled that in March a video uploaded on the internet, where the three females were being tortured and sodomised, went viral, attracting the ire of Nigerians. Nigerians, especially the civil society organisations had called for investigation of the video and arrest of the perpetrators.

Among the 12 suspects arrested for the barbaric act meted out on the three females, was one Isiaka Waidi, otherwise known as the Baba-Oja of the market.

According to the Force spokesman, Frank Mba, “Waidi is said to be the mastermind of the dastardly act which culminated in the arrest, debasement, torture and extortion of N50, 000. Another suspect is Haruna Abdullahi and Buhari Yusuf who mixed the concoction of pepper and alcoholic spirit that were applied on the bodies, including private parts of the victims. Others are Saheed Adisa, Lateef Tijani, Ahmed Adisa, Oloruntoyin Daud(Iya-Oja), Adekunle Adenuga, Jimoh Busari and Azeez Akinosun.”

Those declared wanted by the police are: Tiri, an alleged member of the Oodua people’s Congress (OPC), who was captured in the video footage and alleged to give stripped naked one of the victims, named Ajoke Agoma, mother of the two other female victims. There is also Otepa Oluranti, Akeem and Michael Abolore.

Ezike said that the arrest of the suspects would not have been possible but for the assistance of Civil society groups and Office of the Public Defenders.

Mba explained that the suspects were picked out from an identification parade by eye witnesses, who went further to reveal parts played by each suspect.

Reacting to the death of Juliana Agoma, Mba said that the Force would work with Interpol to confirm the veracity of the death of Juliana.

Waidi however denied being involved in the torture and sodomy of Mrs. Ajoke Agoma and her two daughters. According to him he was at home when security guards attached to the market called him that they had discovered persons behind the stealing of missing pepper and tomatoes in the market.

Waidi added: “When I got to the market, I was taken to their home. I found out that it was a little girl. I left instructions that they should hand them over to the police since I was rushing down to Alausa Ikeja, for a meeting. I didn’t even know the extent of what the security guards did to the woman and her children until I saw the video. I was not the person that committed the crime, it was the security guards!”

Nike Salami, 16, half-sister to the deceased Juliana Agoma, said that Waidi was lying.

She told how Juliana Agoma, who came from village, saw N5 pepper and collected. She also told the gathering how her parents were tortured and beating and how Waidi repeatedly kicked her mother, after others had stripped the woman naked.

“They said they would cut off the head of my mother. They told our landlord to give us quit notice, that we were thieves. They sent us out of the area and we went to live at my mother’s village,” said Nike.

According to Mrs. Ajoke Agoma, she was already beginning to get over the nightmare, when justice came in the form of Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, who had relentlessly pursued the case.

Odumakin said that she had gone to Benin Republic and visited the burial site of Juliana Agoma, where she promised the deceased that she would not rest until she justice was done. She added: “We also wanted to prove a point that jungle justice does not pay!”

Director of the Office of the Public Defenders (OPD), Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, revealed that the case file would be forwarded to the Directorate Public Prosecution. “We’ll ensure justice is done in this case,” she vowed.

Mba said that the police would work with other security agencies, in distribution of the pictures of the wanted four, so that people could alert the nearest police wherever they sighted them.