Mother accuses neighbour of defiling two-year-old daughter

One Kehinde Paul has been arraigned before a
Lagos State High Court in Ikeja for allegedly
raping a two-year-old daughter of his neighbour,
Mrs. Mercy Ofaghae, two years ago.

Kehinde, who lives in Igando, a suburb of Lagos
State, however, pleaded not guilty to one count of
rape and defilement preferred against him on
Monday before Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye.
But the victim’s mother, Ofaghae, who gave
evidence in court as the prosecution’s first
witness, insisted that Kehinde defiled her
daughter on January 12, 2013, adding that a
medical report confirmed it.
Ofaghae, who was led in evidence by the
prosecutor, Mr. Akin George, narrated to the court
how Kehinde allegedly raped her daughter.

She said, “The incident happened on the 12th of
January, three weeks after my husband travelled
out of the country.
“That fateful night, my daughter was running
temperature as a result of teething. I called my
neighbour and friend, Mrs. Layode Paul, the wife
of the accused, who brought Paracetamol for the
girl and advised me to bathe her.
“The drug didn’t suppress her temperature, so I
decided to rush out to buy another drug for my
daughter. I left my daughter with my neighbour’s
husband, the accused, because the wife was on
her way to the salon.
“When I got back home with the drug, I knocked
Mr. Layode’s (Kehinde) door and he claimed to
be in the bathroom. It took him one hour before
he opened the door and when he eventually did, I
took my daughter to our apartment and I took off
her clothes to bath her before administering the
drug.
“But when I got to her pants, there was sperm on
it and I screamed and neighbours rushed into my
apartment to see what the matter was. The
defendant was also among those who came in
and he asked me if I was accusing him of raping
my daughter. At that point, another neighbour
slapped him, saying the defendant had finally
exposed himself.”
The victim’s mother said the two-year-old was
rushed to a hospital where, after being tested, the
doctor confirmed that she had been defiled.
The mother said, “I was shocked when I realised
what Kehinde did to my daughter. Though his
family member pleaded that I should help them
cover the matter up, but it seems my daughter
was not the first victim because the defendant’s
brother confirmed this.”
Justice Ipaye, who adjourned till August 19, 2015,
for continuation of trial, ordered that the accused
should be remanded in the prison custody.
According to the prosecution, the offence which
Kehinde allegedly committed contravened Section
258 of the criminal act law of Lagos state (2011).

Source : Punch