•Victim’s mother alleges cover-up moves
•Suspect also accused of attempted sodomy with boy, 12

By Esther Onyegbula

A middle aged trader at Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos, simply identified as Joseph, a.k.a Pastor, is in police net for allegedly defiling his neighbour’s seven-year-old granddaughter (names withheld).

It was learned that the victim’s mother, Mrs Nene Oguchint, alongside her three children, had visited her sick father who lives in the same compound with the suspect at Number 19, Adeyanju (Civilian Barracks) three weeks ago. The victim was allegedly defiled twice during this period by Joseph.

The bubble was said to have burst after a teenager in the compound confided in the victim’s mother, alleging  that Pastor had earlier tried to sodomise his 12-year-old brother, Collins.

Shocked at the disclosure, the victim’s mother made further enquiries only to discover that her visiting daughter had fallen victim  to the suspect.

 Victim’s account

The girl according to a source, told her bewildered mother that the first time Joseph  allegedly did it was the day she, together with her younger ones, went inside his room.

“When we entered, he told my little sister, Amaka, to take my brother, Victor, outside. When they went outside, uncle asked me to sit on his laps, removed my pants and his trousers and started putting his private part inside my bum-bum. Later, white substance began to come out from it. After he finished, he gave  me N10, 00. The second time was in the afternoon; I was in the passage alone, so Uncle Joseph started calling me, in a low voice, to come in.   I thought he wanted me to run some errand for him. So, I went inside his room and he did the same thing to me. After he finished, he gave me two sliced bread”. Asked why she didn’t tell her mother, the girl alleged that Joseph threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

Mrs  Oguchint, who spoke to  Sunday Vanguard, gave her own account of the incident.

“I live in the South-East with my husband and children. I came to visit my sick father who lives in that compound  April 29  with my three young children. At about 6pm when I got home on Monday, I was washing clothes when one of my neighbour’s children, called  Junior (14 years old), came to me and said that there was something that happened that he wanted to tell me.   I asked him what? He said one of our neighbours, Joseph (a.k.a. Pastor), pleaded with his mother to allow his younger brother, Collins (12-years-old), sleep in his room since his sister didn’t come back home that night,” the mother narrated.

“Ignorantly, he to me his mother agreed and, that night, the younger brother slept in his room. In the morning when Collins woke up, he complained that Pastor didn’t allow him to sleep in the night, as he kept touching his private part, kissing and troubling him.  Junior claimed Joseph pulled his trousers, and when his brother tried to shout, he covered  his mouth.  Junior further explained that thrice Pastor attempted to sodomise him and he  resisted.”

She continued: “I asked Junior why he didn’t report to his mother. He said he didn’t because  his mother may  not believe him. Still, I encouraged him to tell his mother which he did. Unfortunately when he did, the mother slapped him, asking how he would make such an allegation against Joseph. While this was going on, two siblings living in that same compound, Joel and Emma, alleged that the suspect had done similar thing to them, too. I asked them why they didn’t tell their mother when it happened. They claimed  he threatened to kill them if they told anyone.

“I was shocked. So, I called my daughter and asked her if she heard what Junior, Joel and Emma had said. She said yes. I asked her if Joseph had done something like that to her. She started shivering and said:  ‘Yes, mummy, please don’t beat me’.  I asked her how many times. She said twice. After she explained to me, I raised the alarm. Pastor was inside the apartment  of the mother of one of the alleged victims, mother, Mama Collins. I confronted him.   He didn’t say anything; it was Mummy Collins that was pleading with me to calm down and stop shouting. I told her that it was not possible, that there was no way I would sweep a case of defilement against my daughter under the carpet. I called my husband who was in the South-East. It was my husband who  told me to report the case to the police, which I did on Tuesday morning because it was already late when the incident happened on Monday. When I got to Iyana-Isashi Police Station, the police officers were confused because the suspect had come to report the case to them the previous night”.

Alleged police complicity

Mrs Oguchint explained that the police took her daughter to a private hospital in Ali-Baba, Isashi, where a test was conducted and it was discovered that she had been sexually abused, recently. “After attempts to persuade me to settle the case failed, the police officer in-charge of the case said that if I wanted the case to be charged to court, I should be ready to pay money for transportation to Badagry Magistrate Court,”the distraught mother said.

“On Wednesday afternoon, the police officer in-charge of the case hurriedly took us to Badagry Magistrate  Court after he heard that human right groups were interested in the case. Unfortunately, we got there late and the case could not be heard because the court didn’t sit. They referred us to Ojo Magistrate Court. I don’t understand how the police are handling the case anymore as the IPO said I won’t be going to the court with my daughter. Since the incident took place, many of the suspect’s relatives, including a priest, have been calling asking us to name our price, that they would pay anything for the case not to go to court. The suspect, who was initially denying the allegation, later started begging me to forgive him and withdraw the case.”

Lamenting, the victim’s father, Chinedu Oguchint, a trader, who came to Lagos from the South-East because of the case on Wednesday, said: “I want the case to be properly investigated and we want justice to be done. We are calling on the Commissioner of Police, Owoseni Fatai, Lagos State Government and human right groups to intervene in this issue as the suspect’s relatives are attempting to cover the case up. “

Drama

While this was going on, a  drama took place as the parents of the victim alleged that the IPO had forcibly taken their daughter to an Ikeja Magistrate Court where the case was to be heard. The mother said she was at the police station with the suspect when the police officer took her child and insisted that she should not follow them to court. According to her, “They left the police station without me. I traced them to the court in Ikeja, later.”