A 30-year-old scrap collector, Nurudeen Owolabi, has been arrested by operatives of the The Lagos State Police Command for allegedly raping a 12-year-old pupil, Ngozi (pseudonym) in the Bariga area of the state. Owolabi, who lives in the same neighbourhood with the parents of the victim,is said to have tricked her into his apartment on Alhaji Yinu Street, Bariga, on Thursday and raped her.
A police source said the case was immediately reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the Ilorin, Kwara State indigene. The source said the suspect was arrested and taken to the Bariga Police Station before the case was transferred to the Gender Office, Lagos State Police Command Headquarters, Ikeja. The victim was also taken to the Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where a series of tests were conducted on her. The results reportedly showed that her hymen had been broken. Recounting her ordeal in the hands of the rapist, Ngozi, who is in primary 5, said, “I went to buy rice and I passed through Brother Nuru’s (Owolabi) house. He called me and dragged me inside his room.He removed my gown and my pants and raped me. He begged me not to tell anybody. I did not tell my mother because I was afraid she would beat me.”
Meanwhile the suspect said, “I had a girlfriend on my street, who is about 21 years old, and anytime she came to my apartment, I would sleep with her and pay her N500. But for about a month, she didn’t come.I saw her (the victim) passing by that Thursday and I called her to come in. I had sex with her. I then gave her N200. Later, her mother barged into my house on Saturday and started crying that I wanted to destroy her daughter’s life. It wasn’t my fault; the devil made me do it.” In her remarks, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos appealed to parents that, “We want to appeal to parents of victims to speak up and report to the nearest police station. They must also keep watchful eyes on their children to protect them from sexual abuse. The Lagos State Police Command will not spare rapists.”
