A 30-year old man has allegedly raped a 20-year old girl in
Lagos, southwest Nigeria and uploaded her pictures on the internet.
PM News reports that the suspect, Olaniyan Oluwakayode, who
hails from Osun State, allegedly raped the girl in his apartment at Ifako area
of Lagos. He was arrested by the police and brought to the Lagos State Ministry
of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, in handcuffs.
The victim (name withheld) from Akwa Ibom State, alleged that
after being raped, Oluwakayode snapped her pictures despite pleas from his
sister to desist from such barbaric act, saying Oluwakayode was never her
boyfriend as he claimed.
“So I asked him why would he do what’s on his mind when I had
not even accepted his advances, he said he would do what was on his mind today;
so he dragged me into the bush. When I wanted to shout, he brought out a knife
and said if I shouted, he would kill me there.
“So from the bush, he dragged me to his house and locked the
door. I tried all I could to open it but I couldn’t because the door is an iron
door and very strong. He used his legs to hold my neck, he tore my skirt, my
pant and my bra. He beat me very well on my head, neck and body and removed my
pant and he slept with me. After he finished sleeping with me, I couldn’t shout
again because he was beating me and forcing me to open my legs. When I refused,
he also held my neck so I couldn’t shout,” she alleged.
According to her, when Oluwakayode’s sister came back around
9.00pm, she asked her brother to open the door, asking him if he wanted to kill
somebody’s else child.
The victim said when he heard his sister shouting, he took
her to the second room and still slept with her after which she urinated on the
floor.
“His sister then came through the second window and pleaded
with him to let me go, telling him that if she was the person that was being
treated like that, would he be happy about it? I started crying. I am 20 years
old and I work as an Office Assistant and I learnt Fashion Designing.
“He has been asking me out for a long time. I was never his
girlfriend, I have my own boyfriend. He raped me with pains, even his sister
was crying and he snapped me immediately and his sister even said she would call
his mother because even if she was the one they did that thing to, he would
even over react,” she stated.
The suspect, Oluwakayode denied raping her, saying she was
his girlfriend.
“I was fighting with my girlfriend but they are accusing me
of raping her. I never denied the fact that I snapped her picture when she was
naked. We were fighting inside, but any other allegation levelled against me is
a big lie. The only thing I did which I do not deny is that I snapped her naked
picture.
“We were fighting inside and she has been hurting me for a
very long period and we had an issue which made me delete her number. Last
week, she flashed me. When I saw the strange number, I called the number back
immediately. When I heard her voice, I asked her what she wanted because she
told me that her name was Blessing, until we had the issue and she said her
name was now Comfort,” he explained.
According to him, he met her passing by in June when he
approached her to ask her for her phone number, which she obliged.
“Immediately, I called her and on her way back, she flashed
me and I called her back and we met. She even came to my house and we sat
outside and talked. She agreed to date me. There was a day we spoke on the
phone and she was asking me if I had an apartment, I told her that I didn’t
want to rush into anything, that I wanted to settle down in my business. I do
branding in my house at Ifako.
“They said I raped her, but one thing is that I have a
conscience and she also has a conscience and let our conscience judge. I
believe with all the proofs, the truth is that I never denied beating her, I
did beat her with my head on her face and on her back when she held my manhood;
so all the allegation of bringing out a powder, a knife and belt, I did not do
it because I have a conscience and she has a conscience, that’s all,” he
explained.
Director of Child Development, WAPA, Mrs. Alaba Fadairo said
the case would be charged to court as it was a case of raping and uploading the
pictures on the internet.
“From here, we are going to court because it is an
infringement on someone’s right. But it is not immediate because all the
necessary tests have to be done, like the evidence, medical report and all. The
most important thing is to ensure she has not been infected with HIV. The
hospital should be able to prove to us to back up her claims.
“You do not have to force a person to have your way. It has
to be mutual consent. The most barbaric aspect is that it was done and it was
aired. Where is the dignity of the woman? It shows the person is callous and
wicked and I think we should allow the arm of the law take its course so that
the girl could feel justice has been served,” she said.
Fadairo said the case would not be swept under the carpet
except the victim herself was opting out, saying government would not give up.
“That’s why I am going to follow it up to the latter and see
that the matter is handled. There is no going back.
“It’s a dent on the victim and it’s not about rape, it’s
about putting her pictures on the social media. I don’t think anyone will want
to opt out. You also know the government has zero tolerance for issues of child
abuse except we are not in the know. He is likely to face imprisonment, but the
number of years is at the discretion of the court.”
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