The high rate of young underage girls that suffer sexual assault at the hands of men old enough to be their fathers is increasingly becoming a source of worry. According to the Punch Newspapers, Aktue Odo area in Ifo local government area of Ogun state witnessed commotion recently as the community discovered that a 62 year old man simply identified as Wadada sexually assaulted a five year old girl and tried to pay her off with N20.
The 62 year old man had carried out the sexual assault when the five year old had gone to fetch water at a borehole he owned.
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The victim was staying with her mother in a church when the incident happened; her attacker reportedly tried to pacify the little girl with N20.
When the little girl got back home, her mother queried how she came about the money with her to which she confessed it had been given to her by Wadada after he sexually assaulted her.
This led to the victim’s mother raising an alarm regarding the incident which resulted in Wadada being seized by some angry residents, who dragged him before the traditional ruler of the community.
The case however took a different dimension at this point when the mother of the victim was told to let the community handle the matter and not to report to the police; she was threatened with eviction from the church if she did.
One of the residents of the community told reporters that the 65yr old was a repeat offender as he had been caught sexually defiling young girls in the past.
“The girl’s father is late. She stays with her mother in a church in the neighbourhood. The man has a borehole around the church, where he sells water to people.
The girl was sent on an errand when he lured her on Friday. He inserted his fingers into her private parts and broke her hymen, as blood gushed out. He tried to use a piece of cloth to clean up the blood and gave her N20.
When she returned home, her mother saw the money and asked where she got it from. She said Wadada gave her. She asked what she did for him to warrant such a kind gesture. She did not want to talk initially, but later opened up. Her mother opened her pants and found bloodstains in her private parts.” He said.
When Wadada was challenged he confessed to the crime and was subsequently taken to the palace of the traditional ruler rather than the police.
Several other sources revealed that asides from being a serial child molester and rapist, the last time he was caught in the act he had been made to sign an undertaken never to repeat such offence again or risk the forfeiture of his property.
Therefore when he was caught in the act again rather than take him to the police, the community decided to banish him and sell of his property so the victim can be compensated.
Several other residents however assisted the mother of the victim to the nearest Police station where she reported the matter; the traditional members of the community however decided to pressure police not to take up the case.
A human rights lawyer, Okere Onyekachi however got involved in the matter and confirmed that the Police would not be dropping the matter.
According to the lawyer;
“The IPO told me that they would not drop the case because they also got information that it was the eighth time that he would be committing the offence.
I told them that the offence was against the state and they should not allow anything to sway them from the path of justice. The police said they would do their best because they even foot the bills for the medical tests.”
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