A 35-year-old man, Andrew Ekanem, has been arrested by the police for allegedly raping his neighbour’s daughter in the Bariga area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the 14-year-old
victim was still undergoing a six-month treatment for tuberculosis when she was
attacked by the suspect on Monday morning.
Our correspondent was told that the victim was
the first of four children.
The mother of the victim, Mrs. Adenike
Aderinkomi, a trader, told our correspondent at their house on Akilo Street that
her daughter went to ease herself in the early hours of the morning when she was
cornered by the Cross River State indigene.
She claimed the suspect penetrated her daughter
through the anus and vagina.
She said, “It was around 2am on Monday when my
daughter woke up and said she wanted to go and ease herself.
“I was having my quiet time and didn’t know when
I slept off. I woke up about 15 minutes later and didn’t see her in the
room.
“I woke her father up and he said he didn’t know
her whereabouts. We both became anxious and went outside to search for her.
“Another neighbour also joined us in the
search.”
She said she was shouting her daughter’s name in
the backyard, but did not get any response.
Aderinkomi said about 10 minutes later, her
husband saw their daughter coming out of Ekanem’s room.
Our correspondent learnt people overwhelmed her
with a barrage of questions, but the Primary six pupil insisted she went to ease
herself.
Her mother said she pulled her away from the
growing crowd of neighbours and pressed her to talk.
“My daughter became afraid. She then told me that
while she was on her way to ease herself, Ekanem grabbed her and took her inside
his room to sleep with her. She said while I was shouting her name, he covered
her mouth.
“People seized him and wanted to beat him up. But
I had to quickly report the matter to the police very early in the morning so
people would not take the law into their hands,” she said.
Aderinkomi said she was surprised because when
her daughter fell critically ill in February, last year, Ekanem assisted her
family in taking her to Calabar, the Cross River State capital, for traditional
treatment.
PUNCH Metro learnt that after the
alleged rape, the victim was taken to the Gbagada General Hospital for testing
and treatment.
A medical report, which was sighted by our
correspondent, revealed that the victim sustained bruises in her private
parts.
The paper, signed by one Dr. Ojekunle of the
hospital, stated, “The child was caught with a neighbour around 2am today. She
confessed that the neighbour called her on her way to ease herself and forced
her and had sex with her.
“She sustained bruises in her anus and vagina (as
a result of) sexual assault.”
Our correspondent was told that the victim had
been taken to an undisclosed orthodox church for “prayers and deliverance”.
A carpenter, Tunde Hassan, who lives in the house
where the incident happened, expressed surprise, saying nobody imagined Ekanem
could do such a thing.
Hassan said, “Up till now, I cannot comprehend
what happened. The man was a gentle man and he never fought or made trouble with
anybody.
“But at the same time, people should learn to
forgive when things like this happen, because you never can tell. Somebody that
was bad to you today can be good to you tomorrow.”
It was learnt that the suspect was arrested by
policemen from the Bariga Police Division.
A police source told our correspondent that
investigation revealed the suspect was fond of the act and usually induced his
victims with money.
He said, “That was not his first time of doing
such a thing. This particular girl, he had slept with her about three times. He
was always giving her money ranging from N200 to N500.
“But this time, he was caught red-handed and that
was why the girl’s parents are insisting on taking him to court. When he was
queried, he didn’t give any reason for his behaviour. He’s just fond of sleeping
with little girls.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State
Command, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect had been
taken to court.http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/okada-rider-rapes-14-year-old-tuberculosis-patient-in-lagos/
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