A father of three, identified as Davies, has called on the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, the Ministry of Justice and the Nigerian Bar Association to intervene in the case of defilement of his teenage daughter (name withheld) allegedly defiled by a suspect, identified as Osunyomi, in Lagos.
Speaking with Sunday Special on the telephone on Friday, Davies said the incident happened on Tuesday, July 11, when the suspect broke into his house while he and his wife were away and sexually assaulted his daughter.
He said, “According to my daughter, while she was reading the Bible she heard some footsteps and she pulled the curtains. Later, she went to the room, undressed to take her bath but she heard some strange sounds coming from the kitchen so she went to check. Suddenly, a guy dashed out of the kitchen, so she quickly entered and tried to lock the kitchen door. The guy forced the kitchen door open, dragged my daughter out of the kitchen, and hit her on her head. When I got home, I knocked at the gate, but no one responded.
“Eventually, I found my way into our living room to see a broken dish and a jar of broken hair cream. My daughter was lying lifeless on the floor, naked. Her clothes had been torn and dipped inside her mouth, and her face was covered with mucus.
“After she was revived, she described her attacker as a tall, slim, bleach-fair guy with a mark on his hand and some spots and pimples on his face. She added that he wore a green top and a pair of jeans. She was taken to the Sexual Assault Centre at Igando General Hospital for proper care and treatment.”
Beyond the assault, he said N180,000 was also missing from his apartment.
The distraught father added that he reported the case to the Isheri Police Division, and that based on the description given by the survivor and the information provided by his friend, the suspect was identified and arrested by the police at his workplace on July 18.
Davies added, “The case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, D10, Panti and was handed over to one Femi of the Anti-Trafficking Unit with all the evidence gathered. After paying N25,000 for the fingerprint and footprint of the suspect and registering the case with one Supo Kazeem, the IPO told me to get them a vehicle to visit the crime scene. I did.
“After being forced to pay N15,000 for a vehicle of their choice, they didn’t turn up. Rather, they went to the suspect’s workplace and spent hours there before coming to my house. After three weeks, I didn’t hear from them. On Monday, September 18, I went there with a lawyer.
“When Kazeem saw me, he embarrassed me and sent me away. I went to report him to the DCP SCID Panti. He then took my lawyer to his office. When my lawyer came back, he disclosed that Kazeem had released the suspect and that he said we were lying against the suspect; that the report showed that they didn’t touch my daughter. I call on the CP, the Ministry of Justice and the NBA for intervention. I want justice for my daughter.”
Commenting on the case, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Mrs Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, told Sunday Special that the family should report the case to the agency and the Gender Desk of the Lagos Police Command.
“If the family is dissatisfied with the service offered at the divisional level, they are strongly encouraged to report the case to the Gender Desk Department of the Lagos State Police Command. It can also be reported to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency via our toll free line (08000333333,)
“Or they can visit our office located at Nobel House, Plot 3 Otunba Jobi Fele way, Central Business District, in order to ensure the survivor is able to access holistic support and services,” she said.
The Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not answer the call made to his line. He had yet to respond to a text message sent to him seeking an update on the case.
(Punch)
