By Damilola Banjo

TAOFEEK Egunleye Babajide, a 35-year old man, is currently held in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force for allegedly defiling a four-year-old girl at Oriokuta in Ikorudu area of Lagos state.

Babjide was arrested by policemen from Owutu police station in Ikorodu on Saturday, January 19, following the complaint made on the same day by the little girl’s father, identified simply as Abdul to protect the underage girl.

On Thursday, January 17, the suspect lured the girl with biscuit into a toilet where he allegedly had carnal knowledge of her, the father said.

“She (the victim) said it happened when she went to ease herself at the mosque behind the Arabic school,” Abdul said. The suspect told the young girl he would buy her biscuit, and took her to the toilet, open her vagina and started licking it. She also said he inserted his fingers into her…”

Abdul narrated that the toddler first complained of leg pains when her mother was bathing her on Friday, January 18, but later in the day, when she saw Babajide, she remembered and informed her mother that he had removed her pants when she went to Arabic school on Thursday.

“She did not make the report immediately on Thursday,” he said. “Maybe the guy threatened her not to tell anyone but the next day when her mother was bathing her, she complained about pains in her leg.”

“Her mother asked her what happened but she said she fell down. Later in the evening when she saw some laborers in the same street we were, she called her mother’s attention: ‘mummy, mummy, see the man who pulled off my pants yesterday’”

Her father further explained that she was taken to the hospital for a checkup and it was confirmed that she had been defiled.

“Her mother then pulled her aside in other not to scare her and asked her how it happened. She narrated the story to her mother. Her mother then called me because I was not around. I told her to go to our family doctor to confirm if it was true before raising an alarm. The doctor confirmed that it was true,” Abdul said.

Following the confirmation from the clinic, Abdul proceeded to file a complaint against Babajide at Owutu police station where he had been kept for interrogation since Saturday.

The officer in charge of the case at Owutu police station confirmed that an arrest was made and that the culprit is currently undergoing interrogation.

He, however, said the station has requested that the child be examined at a government-approved hospital.

“We have told them to go and test the girl so that we can be sure. I have given medical paper for the child so that we can confirm. Whether there was actual penetration so that we can know the next step to take.

“Once we confirm, it is either we charge him to court or refer the case to the gender department of the state command. We don’t compromise or settle such a matter. But the case is still under investigation; we are waiting for the outcome of the test so that we know the next step to take.”

The suspect has been sick since he was brought into the station; he was not released because of the sensitivity of the case, the IPO said.

But he might be released today, Monday, January 21, 2019, so that he can seek medical attention, as it is unlawful to keep a sick man in detention, the policewoman added.