By Ajape Sefiu A.
A 40-year-old male worshipper identified as Abiola, otherwise known as Aro, was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for being accused of defiling a 14-year-old minor (name withheld) at the Olorunloba Mosque restroom located on Ondo Road in the Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State.
According to information obtained, before Saturday’s incident, the suspect had been a member of the mosque for more than 15 years.
Following the completion of the afternoon Muslim prayer in the mosque, our correspondent learned that the incident happened on Saturday, March 4, 2024, at about 2:20pm.
According to the information provided to the police officers at the Igbeba Division, the survivor claimed that she needed to relieve herself and went to the mosque’s bathroom to pass the stool.
She, however, explained that she heard a knock on the door shortly after she entered the restroom.
The survivor further claimed that she was startled when she opened the door and discovered Aro standing by it, even though she had assumed the knock was from her younger brother, who had also come for the prayer.
She told the police that she was trying to find out why Aro was in the women’s restroom when she surprisingly saw him by the door. He was said to have then allegedly shoved her back into the restroom and forced her up against the wall.
Meanwhile, a police source who was privy to the report but craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak with the press told our correspondent that despite the survivor’s cries and pleas, Aro violently removed her pants and pinned the teenager to the toilet wall before having carnal knowledge of the girl.
A police document exclusively made available on Sunday about the report of the incident partly read, “As a result of what Aro did, the survivor started bleeding uncontrollably from her private parts. She went back home to report the matter to her guardian, who took her to a general hospital in the area for medical attention.”
Following the suspect’s arrest, he was detained, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, who also revealed that the case would be forwarded to the State Criminal Investigation Department for additional investigation.
“The suspect has been arrested and detained for alleged defilement. He will be transferred to the State CID in Abeokuta immediately after the preliminary investigation is completed,” Odutola stated via a WhatsApp message on Sunday.
Likewise, a related incident occurred on April 26, 2024, when the command detained two brothers, Olamijuwon Noibi and Lukman Olatunbosun, for suspected gang rape in Oke-Eri, Atan-Ijebu.
One of the suspects had tricked the survivor into coming to their apartment, where he allegedly assaulted her sexually and threatened to kill his younger brother, Olatunbosun, with a knife after he refused to take part in the crime.
Noibi was said to have also filmed the moment his brother was allegedly having unlawful sexual intercourse with the survivor.
