JANET (not real name) was a girl, who was full of good dreams for her future. Currently going through her Secondary School Certificate Examination as a senior secondary school student, she had looked forward to the day she would finish her last paper and prepare for admission to a higher institution of learning.
She had also decided to keep herself pure as a young girl, not wanting to be distracted by engaging in sexual activities with the opposite sex.
However, her plan to remain chaste was truncated on Tuesday, May 14, when she was gang raped by three men, one of whom was an-ex student of her school, after she was abducted and kept for about 24 hours in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Information gathered by Crime Reports revealed that on May 14, Janet had gone to her school at Wofun-Iyana Church area of Ibadan. Expected back home in the afternoon, her family members became worried when they did not see her at dusk.
Everyone had become uneasy because all efforts to trace her proved abortive. Crime Reports learnt that they were still in the state when they received a call at about 11p.m. from an unknown person using Janet’s phone.
Fear ran through their spines when the caller identified himself as a kidnapper, demanding for N6,000 recharge cards as ransom before the girl could be released! All the family members were said to have lost sleep as they deliberated on what could be done. The following morning, one of Janet’s brother reportedly lodged a report at Alakia Adelubi police station. They were advised to play along with the so-called kidnappers, so they sent recharge cards worth N3,000.
A police source told Crime Reports that at about 2.30p.m. on May 15, the strange voice called the family to acknowledge the receipt of the recharge cards, asking them to pick their daughter at Oganla junction at Olodo area. When the police were informed, the Divisional Crime Officer and some policemen reportedly went to the spot where they met the girl unconscious.
She was said to have been rushed to a private hospital for treatment. After regaining consciousness, Janet revealed to the police that she was gang-raped by three men, whose names were given as Biola Olawale (19), Bamidele Biodun (21) and Aanu Akinade. While the first two suspects were arrested by the police, the third, said to be the son of a popular pastor, was at large. The first suspect, Biola was said to be an ex-student of the school Janet was attending.
Narrating her experience to Crime Reports, Janet said the three men kidnapped her from her school and kept her in a house during which they took turns to rape her. According to the 19-year-old girl, “that day, our principal asked us to come to school though I didn’t have a paper. Around 1p.m., I saw Biola and his two friends. Biola told me he would like me to follow him home because his mother had been disturbing him, saying that she wanted to know me. I refused to follow him, saying that I could not comprehend why his mother wanted to see me.
“I turned to enter the school compound but was pulled by one of the boys, whose name I later got to know as Aanu. He had a ring, which I suspected to be charmed, on one of his fingers. He used it to hit me on the chest. That was all I knew as I just followed them as someone in a trance. We entered a commercial vehicle and I was taken to Aanu’s residence at Ejioku area. Throughout the time we were in the vehicle, I could not utter a word.
“Aanu later told me that he was the son of a popular pastor in Ibadan. He was the one who suggested that he and his friends should gang-rape me.
Aanu was the first person to rape me, followed by Biodun. Biola was the last person. They did not protect themselves at all. At midnight, Aanu attempted to rape me again but I started shouting that someone should rescue me.
“Unfortunately, no one came to my rescue. I later learnt from one of my siblings that some of the residents admitted that they heard my cry but did not respond. That night, they gave me an alcoholic drink. That was all I took. They brought some food but I said I was not hungry. They also gave me a drink and warned me against telling anyone, threatening that I would die if I did.
“The following morning, Aanu and Biodun took turns to rape me again. Biola was not in the room then. They later dumped me at the point where my parents came to pick me along with the police.”
Janet denied being Biola’s girlfriend as the suspect claimed. According to her, “we were just friends. Though he had once wooed me, I did not agree to his advances because I knew the girl he was going out with.
The teenager said that what hurt her most was the loss of her prized virginity to the randy suspects. “I was a virgin but they deflowered me. My undies were stained with blood and this was seen where I was treated the following day.”
However, Biola in his statement to the police claimed that Janet was his girlfriend and that they had planned that he would take her to his mother.
But knowing that his father was a strict man who would not want to see him bring a girlfriend home at his age, Biola said he had to take her to his friend’s house. When asked why he should allow his friends to have carnal knowledge of his girlfriend whom he claimed to love, Biola had no answer, but he and Biodun admitted having sex with her along with their runaway friend.
Police sources also told Crime Reports that when they got to the father of the suspect at large, he denied him, saying that he had already disowned the young man. The man was quoted to have said that Aanu ran away from home after taking his money and that of his brother. The popular pastor reportedly said he had been looking for the boy also to recover his stolen money.
Part of the medical report indicated that the girl had a linear tear on her labia while blood stains were noted.
Confirming the story, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, DSP Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor said that the arrested suspects had been charged to court. She added that they were remanded in Agodi Prisons and the case adjourned to June 10. Ther PPRO, who frowned at the increasing cases of rape told Crime Reports that police would intensify efforts to arrest the fleeing suspect.
[Tribune]
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