The police
in Lagos State have commenced investigation into how a nine-year-old
girl died, after sustaining injuries caused by alleged consistent
rape. According to police authorities, the deceased was raped over five
times, by a 14-year-old student, Onyi Adimabua, in the Ikorodu area of
the state.
The father
of the deceased, Simeon Jigo, is the son of the proprietor of the
school his daughter attended. He said his daughter opened up about the
rape when she started having medical problems. The 77-year-old man said
his daughter died on October 3, 2013.
He said, “Up
until my daughter’s death, she was a pupil of Fulfilled Greenland
School, Ikorodu, and she was in primary three. One day, she came home
and started complaining of pains around her vagina, stomach area. We
rushed her to Ikorodu General Hospital.
“A doctor
checked her and after conducting some tests on her, told us that my
daughter had sustained medical complications due to forced sexual
intercourse. I was alarmed by this; so, I had a private discussion with
my daughter.“She told me that it was her school proprietor’s son, Onyi,
that had been raping her. The boy had threatened to kill her if she ever
told anyone about it.”
After
initial treatments, the father took his daughter to Arogbo in Ondo
State to be taken care of but her condition continued to deteriorate. A
few days after the troubled father travelled to Ondo State, Onyi,
accompanied by his parents, also travelled to Ondo State, to apologise
to Jigo’s family. The girl, however, was said to have died that very
day.
“On getting
to the house where my daughter was, we discovered that she was dead.
Onyi confessed that he had been raping my daughter prior to her death,’
Jigo said.
After the girl’s demise, irate youths in the area attempted to lynch the 14-year-old boy.
The bereaved
father was said to have intervened and reported the matter to a nearby
police station, where the teenager was held for safe keeping. The next
morning, Onyi and his parents travelled back to Lagos. The alleged
rapist’s parents, in company with a chief in Ikorodu, reportedly visited
Jigo when he returned to Lagos. The group were said to have pleaded
that the bereaved father should not pursue the case but he refused.
Jigo said,
“I went to the Ikorodu Police station to report the case but was
surprised when the policemen on duty said I should not write any
statement. They only told me to write down my telephone number and said
they would call me later. “After waiting for many days without any
call, I wrote a petition and the matter was transferred to the State
Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.”
It was
however learnt that Onyi had been taken to his father’s hometown in
Delta State thereby stalling police investigation. The teenager’s
parents, however described the incident as the handiwork of the devil.
The 14-year-old boy’s father, Andrew Adimabua, said, “I trained that boy
in the way of the Lord and expected so much from him. He has confessed
to the act; there is nothing to hide. He told me that he learnt about
sex by watching blue (pornographic) films.
“We are not
hiding him and we will cooperate with the police. On the day the little
girl died, he was beaten up and made to stay in the rain for hours. As a
result, he contracted pneumonia so we sent him home for treatment. When
he recovers, he’ll be taken to the police for questioning.” Police
Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident to
our correspondent on the telephone, expressed shock at the development.
Braide said Onyi would be re-arrested in the course of investigation.
“It is
appalling that a teenager could indulge in such act. The matter is under
investigation and the culprit will be re-arrested.”
Source: Punch
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