On May 3, an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court will continue hearing at the trial of one Lukman Alade, who allegedly made incisions on the private parts of an 18-year-old girl (name withheld) and raped her.
While being led in evidence by the state counsel, Ms Bukola Okeowo, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) in the matter, DSP Morayo Ogunsokan narrated the sordid tale to the court.
Ogunsokan told the court presided by Justice Rahman Oshodi that she received a report of an alleged rape on September 12, 2022 at about 4.30 p.m. from the said survivor and immediately took her voluntary statement while the statement of the defendant was taken under caution.
According to the IPO: “The survivor told me that she was on her way to collect her phone when she was accosted by the defendant and he made sexual advances towards her but she bluffed him.
“She said she later found herself in the room of the defendant with her pants removed, her pubic hair shaved and the defendant had put incisions on her vagina and legs.
“She added that the defendant put a ring into his finger, inserted the same finger into her vagina and raped her thereafter.
“She said it was when her phone rang that she became conscious of what was going on and she asked the defendant what she was doing in his house.”
The witness further told the court that the alleged survivor asked the defendant where her pubic hair was and he gave it to her.
According to her, the alleged survivor reported the case to her parents when she got home. It was reported to a vigilante group and the defendant was arrested by the police.
The IPO told the court that the defendant confessed to removing her pants, shaving the girl’s pubic hair and putting incisions on her vagina and legs.
The witness added that when she got to the scene of the incident, the house was locked and the landlord said he had chased the friend of the defendant, whom they stayed together, away due to the incident.
“Based on what was reported and what the defendant said, he accepted shaving the pubic hair, giving her incision and the lady said he slept with her.
“I am not a medical practitioner, that was why I sent her to Mirabel Medical Centre for examination.
“After the result at Mirabel, the defendant was charged to court based on the allegation against him,” Ogunsokan said.
The state counsel, Okeowo, then prayed the court for a short adjourned date for the witness to conclude her examination in chief.
Okeowo submitted that the original case file was not with the prosecution.
There was no objection from the defence counsel, Mr. Lekan Egberongbe.
The defendant is standing trial on a two-count charge of rape and sexual assault by penetration.
The prosecutor told the court that the defendant allegedly committed the offences on September 12, 2022 on Enu-Owa Street, Lagos Island.
According to the prosecution, the alleged offences violate Sections 260 and 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.
