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. The 14-year-old victim was still undergoing a six-month
treatment for tuberculosis when she was attacked by the suspect on
Monday morning.
Punch NG 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.
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.
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