PUNCH Metro learnt that 29-year-old Julius, who lived in a rented apartment on Obafalabi Street, Ojodu Berger area of Lagos, allegedly tricked the little girl into his room on the night of Saturday, July 26, and had illegal carnal knowledge of her.
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Our correspondent gathered that the victim, a primary one pupil, was the daughter of Julius’s co-tenant. It was further learnt that Julius, who hails from Benin, Edo State, was not married and lived in the apartment with his mother.
Our correspondent learnt that on the fateful evening, the victim’s family, who were Muslims, had gone for prayer in a mosque and expected the child to come with them, but could not find her. However, when the family returned, the girl was said to have sneaked out of the suspect’s room, with obvious signs of pain.
Upon interrogation by her parents, the girl was said to have confessed that she was coming from Julius’s room, where he allegedly asked her to remove her pants, while he climbed on her and raped her. After the confession, the parents were said to have reported the incident at the Ojodu Abiodun Division and Julius was arrested.
When our correspondent visited Julius’s apartment on Tuesday morning, the victim’s mother, a northerner who hails from Kebbi State, told PUNCH Metro that the girl could not urinate properly after the incident, adding that she was being treated at a private hospital.
She said, “On that evening, when we came back from the mosque, she could not bend down properly. I asked her where she went and she initially lied, but later said she had been in his room.
“She said the man asked her to remove her pants, and he put his organ into her, stating that he was just playing with her. I then asked her to repeat the same to her daddy when he came back. But in the morning when we confronted Julius, he denied it. Then we called our family nurse, who came, tested her, and confirmed that she had been raped.
“That same day, we took her to a private hospital where the doctor also confirmed that she had been raped the day before, and on several occasions. So, we reported at the police station. From that day, I observed she could not hold her urine.
“A girl who had stopped bedwetting suddenly began to urinate during sleep. The medical personnel said there was a damage to her private parts that needed to be treated. That was how she resumed treatment at the hospital.”
When our correspondent got to the hospital where the victim was being treated, her medical report, which was signed by a doctor, identified simply as Dr. Sanni, stated among other things that there was a breach of hymen and the absence of labia minora.
One of the nurses, who craved anonymity, said the girl had been coming for treatment for about two weeks.
At the rented apartment, Julius’s room was locked, while his mother staying with him could not be reached for comments as of the time of this report. Also, she could not be reached on the phone number supplied by the co-tenants.
The Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Lelma Kolle, confirmed the arrest of the suspect, and added that the case, because of its severity, had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.
He said, “The suspect was arrested by the Ojodu Abiodun Police Division in connection with the rape of a seven-year-old girl who had some wounds on her and could not urinate properly.
“But the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba for further investigation. The suspect is presently being detained at the SCID.”