The family of a seven-year-old girl (name undisclosed) is seeking justice following the alleged sexual abuse of the girl by a neighbor in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State.
The victim’s aunt, Adeola Adesanya, revealed this in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Thursday.
Adesanya expressed the family’s anguish over the police’s actions, accusing them of releasing the suspect without due prosecution due to overcrowding in correctional facilities across the state.
She recounted, “The incident occurred on October 21. Upon returning home, my daughter informed me that she had caught Baba Abdulahi in a compromising position with my foster daughter. Upon questioning, the girl disclosed that Baba Abdulahi had touched her private parts. Subsequently, when my daughter confronted the man, he had disappeared.
“I reported the case to the Igbogbo Police Station and the child was questioned. It was then revealed that the perpetrator was Baba Abdulahi’s younger brother. I was asked to pay the police N5,000 for transportation costs before they could apprehend the suspect, which I did. After the arrest, I was instructed to conduct two separate tests in different hospitals, both confirming penetration.
“I submitted the results to the police who assured me of prosecution. However, to my shock, shortly before the scheduled court date, the police informed me that we could no longer proceed to court and that the suspect had been released due to overcrowding in correctional facilities.”
She expressed her growing apprehension about the police’s handling of the case, fearing that justice might be denied for the orphaned girl under her care.
“This girl is an orphan under my care after her mother, who was my sister, passed away. The least I can do for her now is to ensure justice is served, but with the way the police are handling the case, I fear it might lead to justice being denied,” Adesanya lamented.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, were unsuccessful as calls and messages to his line went unanswered.