The son of a landlord at Oke-Aro, Ogun State, Toyeeb Afolayan, has been arrested by the state police command for allegedly defiling an 11-year-old girl.
Toyeeb, a 22-year-old father of one, was arrested along with her mother, Toyin Afolayan, who reportedly washed off the bloodstains on the victim’s skirt after the suspect forcefully had sex with her.
The parents of the primary four pupil lived with the Afolayans as tenants in a one-storeyed building on Unity Close, Giwa, Oke-Aro.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the girl and her siblings were on a midterm break on Friday and were left at home, while their parents went to work.
Around 11am, it was gathered that there was a fight between two neighbours which drew the attention of many residents to the house.
The girl was said to have stood on the balcony of the first floor, where her parents’ apartment is, to catch a glimpse of the fight happening downstairs.
Toyeeb was alleged to have suddenly gripped her from the back, covered her mouth and dragged her to the passage.
“Mr. Toyeeb removed my skirt and slept with me. I was crying as he put his thing in my private parts, but nobody heard my voice because of the noise of the fight from downstairs. My younger sister was sleeping and the other one was downstairs.
“He ran away after sleeping with me. There were bloodstains on my skirt. I reported him to an elderly man called Baba in our house. Baba took me to his (Toyeeb’s) mother. She removed my skirt and washed off the bloodstains,” the girl told PUNCH Metro.
The victim’s father, Sunday Israel, a commercial driver, said he was at work that Friday when he was called on the telephone and informed about the incident.
He said the girl was taken to the Ifo General Hospital for treatment and medical tests, while the case was reported at the Agbado Police Division.
Israel said, “There are six apartments on the first floor where we live. It was only Baba that was around that day. He is old and hardly goes out. He didn’t hear my daughter’s cry while Toyeeb had sex with her. He (Toyeeb) cashed in on the confusion caused by the fight downstairs to molest her.
“Baba led her to Toyeeb’s mother and showed the woman the bloodstains on my daughter’s skirt. She quickly removed the skirt and washed off the bloodstains. She dried the skirt and gave it back to her to wear.
“Toyeeb and her mother were arrested by the police. He confessed to the police that he defiled her, but said it was the handiwork of the devil. The medical report at the general hospital showed that she was defiled. She was also taken to the Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for test.”
Israel explained that Toyeeb had initially attempted to molest his daughter in December 2017, but was prevented by the girl’s siblings who raised the alarm.
He urged the police to handle the matter diligently.
“The case was transferred to the police headquarters in Eleweran yesterday (Tuesday). All I want is justice. The police should not buy time on the case or sweep it under the carpet,” he added.
A police source told our correspondent that Toyeeb’s mother was arrested for attempting to cover up the crime.
The source said, “Toyeeb confessed to the defilement as shown by the medical report. Her mother also made confessional statement. They have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Eleweran, for further investigations.”
The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the case would be charged to court at the conclusion of investigations.
He said, “It was case of defilement. The girl in question is about 11-year-old. The suspects have been arrested. The Commissioner of Police has ordered that the case be transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the SCIID.”