Lagos: Man rapes two-year-old

A   teacher (name withheld), on Tuesday told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court how her neighbour, Jubril Zakari, allegedly defiled her two-year-old child in his room.

The witness, a resident of Ojo in Lagos, said she met the defendant naked in his room with his penis erect while her child was also naked on the bed.

She was led in evidence by Lagos State counsel, Ms Inumidun Solaarin.

According to her, she found blood dripping from the baby’s vagina.

The mother of three said that one of her neighbours told her  of the whereabouts of the child after she (neighbour) heard her cry in the compound.

She said: “The survivor is my daughter and she is three years old but was two years old at the time the incident happened.

“I was inside the room with my children. watching a movie, when outage occurred. The children told me they wanted to go out, and I allowed them in order to put the house in order.

“It was not up to 10 minutes when one of my neighbours asked if my my little baby was with me in the room, and I said, ‘No.’

“My neighbour told me she heard the cry of my baby, and I ran outside and started knocking  on the door of the defendant which was locked.

“I saw my baby crying on the bed with blood in her private part and met the defendant also naked when I finally opened the door.”

The witness further told the court that the defendant wanted to escape by pulling his window burglary, following her outcry to alert passersby.

She added that her neighbour and some youths in the neighbourhood assisted in apprehending the defendant.

“He was taken to the police station in Ojo Barracks, where I wrote a statement after he was caught,  and I was told to take my girl to Mirabel Centre for medical examination,” the witness said.

Defence counsel, Mr Samuel Okani, urged the court for an adjournment to enable him to tidy up somethings but Justice Ramon Oshodi overruled his plea.

The judge ruled that defence had more than three months to prepare itself.

The witness, under cross-examination, said the alleged incident happened about 3. 00 p.m.

According to her, she allowed her children outside because they usually played in front of the house.

She added that her husband was at home the day the alleged incident happened.

“My husband heard when I was shouting and he came around.

“There was no fight between my husband and the defendant though the defendant’s mother came to me for settlement but I said, ‘No’ because I want justice for my baby,” the witness said.

Another witness, the Investigative Police Officer, (IPO), Insp Abosede Badmus attached to Gender Section, Lagos State Police Command,  testified that she received a case from Onireke Police Division on Dec. 29, 2021.

The court conducted trial within trial after defence objected the the prosecution tendering the statement of the defendant.

Defence argued that the defendant was not the maker of the statement, adding that he was forced to sign the statement.

The IPO, in  trial within trial, told the court that she was with her team leader in the charge room when the statement was obtained from the defendant.

She added that the defendant told her he could not write, saying that his lawyer or relative  was not present when the defendant signed the statement.

While being examined in the trial within trial, the defendant said he was locked up for four days, adding that he  told the IPO that he could not make any statement because he was not himself.

The defendant maintained that what he signed was not his statement.

While under cross-examination by prosecution, the defendant said he was a trailer repairer and  had not seen the IPO prior to his arrest.

Oshodi adjourned the case until Feb. 7 for continuation of trial and ruling on the trial within trial.