The victim, a Junior Secondary
School (JSS1) student, told an Ikeja Special offences and Domestic Violence
Court, Lagos State that Ogunwa, who is their neighbour, defiled her in their
apartment, at Abattoir Oko-Oba, Agege Lagos.
Ogunwa is standing trial before
Justice Sybil Nwaka on a one count charge of defilement.
Testifying before the court, the minor
narrated: "I got back from school that evening and decided to sleep on a
couch in the parlour after taking off my uniform. My siblings were initially in
the sitting room, but later went downstairs. I felt tired and decided to
change into a gown. I slept off. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps
approaching. I opened my eyes and saw Mr Adetomiwa.
"I asked him where he was
coming from, since he wasn't standing at the entrance door, he said he came to
look for my brother. I told I didn't know where my brother was. He acted as if
he was leaving the house, and then pounced on me. I started struggling
with him. He covered my mouth with him palm to prevent me from shouting. When I
tried to remove his hands, he held my hands with one of his left hand and then
removed his trouser with the other hand. Since it was a gown, he pulled
it up, removed my pants, brought out his penis and put it inside my
vagina. I was crying while he had sex with me because the pain was
unbearable. When he was through, he warned me not to tell anybody and then left
the room. I saw bloodstains on the couch; I cried the more. I then got up
to wash my clothes and clean the bloodstain on the couch. I couldn’t
tell anyone because I was afraid. After the incident, whenever I closed from school,
I was always scared of going back home. I often go to my classmate's
house, who lives close by to wait till it’s late or I hide inside my mother’s
room.”
Testifying further, while being led
by the Chief State Counsel, B. T. Boye, the minor said that whenever her
siblings inquired on her sudden pale attitude, she would simply replied
"nothing."
The minor explained that a few days
later, her eldest sister took her to their mother’s room and instructed her to
lie on the bed. The sister thoroughly examined her private part, after some
minutes, she asked the minor to get up.
"Few days later, my eldest
sister took me to my mother's room and told me to lie on the bed. She opened my
leg (referring to vagina) to check me and some minutes later after examining
me, asked me to stand up. The sister went to the sitting room and started
crying.
The minor recounted: “My sister
called my mum on the phone and told her that someone had deflowered me. When my
mummy returned from work, she asked me who deflowered me, but I couldn't
answer. She began to pamper me and thereafter, I told her everything. My mummy
asked me why I didn't tell her when it happened; I told her that I was
scared. The next day, my mummy took me to Alausa to meet with someone
there. The person asked me to explain what happened and I did. We were then
advised to go to Mirabel Centre for examination. At Mirabel Centre, they
conducted some tests and then advised my mum to report the matter to the
police. At the police Station, I was given a paper to write down on and I wrote
everything that happened. The police later came to our house to conduct an
inspection.”
During cross-examination by the
defence lawyer, Michael Akinwale, the minor said that the defendant probably
knew that she was alone in the sitting room, especially since others were
downstairs. Justice Nwaka adjourned the matter till October 31 for
continuation of trial.
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