- He raped me three times even when I was sick, infected me with disease – Victim
A 19-year-old boy, Femi Ayepola, has been arrested by the men of the Osun State Police Command for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl (name withheld) serving as housemaid to his parents.
Femi, who resides with his mother, Esther Ayepola at number 7, Engineer Idowu Street, Powerline Area, Osogbo, capital of the state, allegedly raped the housemaid serially last year till he got her pregnant.
The Police also arrested Femi’s mother, Esther, for allegedly taking her assaulted housemaid to a quack doctor, Olalekan Lawrence, at Edunabon community in the state where they connived and procured forced abortion on the teenage girl.
The Point gathered that the police were able to apprehend the suspects through the intervention of a human rights activist in the state, Citizen Lola Wey.
According to Wey, upon medical examinations conducted on the victim, it was discovered that she had been infected with a disease which was later treated.
Lawrence, said to be a patent medicine seller at Edunabon, was also arrested by the police for allegedly aborting the pregnancy which resulted from rape.
In an interview with The Point, the young victim, who has been rescued from the house and taken to a safe home, said her mother gave her out to Mrs. Esther Ayepola as maid in 2022, claiming that she had since then been sexually abused by her madam’s son, Femi.
“Brother Femi came to my room where I was sleeping because I was very sick on October 10, 2023, which was my birthday, I begged him to leave me alone but he pinned me on the bed and raped me. Grandma (Esther) was not at home on that day, she traveled.
“On two other occasions, Brother Femi raped me. When grandma returned, I told her what happened and she took me to the hospital. It was at the hospital they told her that I was pregnant.
“Later, grandma took me to a doctor (Lawrence) in Edunabon and asked him to remove the pregnancy. I told them I didn’t want to and that they should not harm me but the doctor injected me and I fell asleep. It was when I woke up that I saw tissue paper in my private part. When I was taken to another hospital by mummy (Wey), I was told I had a disease,” she disclosed.
“I don’t want to be a maid again. I want to go to school and become the President of Nigeria so that I can make people happy,” the teenage girl, who has just been promoted to Primary 6 stated.
Meanwhile, the police have arraigned Femi, his mother and Lawrence and slammed them with four count-charges bordering on rape, sexual assault and procurement of unlawful abortion.
According to Police prosecutor, Temitope Fatoba, the 19-year-old Femi, on or about the month of July, 2023 at Powerline, Оsоgbo, Оsun State, did unlawfully raped and indecently assaulted the 13-year-old girl.
Esther, aged 58 and Lawrence, aged 42, were accused of conspiring and unlawfully procuring abortion of the victim.
Fatoba said the accused persons committed the offences contrary to and punishable under Sections 358, 360, 516 and 328 of the Criminal Code Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
They pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
A counsel from the state Ministry of Justice, A. Amoo had prayed the court to order the Police to handover the case file to the state, adding that the ministry would be taking over the prosecution of the matter.
Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara ordered the police to hand over the case file to the ministry and ordered that the defendants be remanded in the Correctional Centre.
The matter was adjourned till September 10, 2024, for mention.
