A three-year-old victim of rape from Ebonyi State had recently narrated how she was raped by a 25-year-old male neighbour, Hamzat Afeez who pretended to be her friend on Remi Ogunjimi Street, in the Egbeda area of Lagos State.
The suspect who is a painter was said to have washed her pants after committing the act in order to removed the blood stains from her private part which was visible on it.
Narrating the incident, the innocent girl said, “AZ (Afeez) took my sister inside his room and I followed him inside. AZ now removed my pants and put his thing in my bum-bum (private parts).
“Then blood came out on the bed. He now washed my pants. He now said he wanted to go and bath. I now went out and told my mummy. When my daddy came back, I also told my daddy.”
The worry of the victim’s father was how the victimized little girl would cope with such memory.
He said, “I have two kids. She is my first child, while I also have an eight-month-old girl. On the fateful day, I was at work on the Island when my wife called me around 2pm and told me the story.
“She said she was washing some clothes when AZ came out and asked to carry Jennifer (not real name), her baby, to relieve her of the stress. Esther (Not real name) is fond of her sister and she always followed her wherever she went. So, she followed AZ inside his room. It was when she came out that she told her mother that ‘AZ did rubbish to me’. She told me the same story.”
It was the next day that he finally lodged the complaint at the Gowon Estate Police Station,and the suspect was immediately arrested.
He further lamented the adamant disposition of the accused who seemed unabated by the accusation.
He said, “There is no remorse in that guy. He has not approached me or my wife to beg for forgiveness. A policeman, who observed his behaviour while at the station, said he might be a cultist and his gang probably wanted to use my daughter’s blood for ritual purpose.
“That thought has kept me troubled and I am uncomfortable with my girl’s health condition. I don’t care what the government does with the suspect, all I want is help for my girl,” he added.
However, the suspect denied the allegation in a telephone interview with Punch and it was learnt he was released on bail.
“Look, I did not do anything with the girl. Everything that happened still looks like a dream to me. I don’t want anything that will put me in trouble and my neighbours can attest to it. Only God knows best; I have handed them over to God,”said Afeez.
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu, said, “They are neighbours and it happened in their house. The matter will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department any moment from now. The suspect took ill and he was allowed to go and treat himself. The father of the girl also travelled. Whenever he returns, the case will be taken to the SCID. The the right thing will be done, the girl has gone through all the necessary medical tests.”
