Metro
Five Teens Rape Eight-Year-Old Girl, Remanded after Punch Report
Five teenagers who were accused of raping an eight-year-old girl on Adepeju Street, in the Bariga area of Lagos State in November 2022, have been remanded in custody by a Yaba Magistrates’ court.
According to the victim’s father, Abel Asuquo, the case was adjourned till February 10, 2023.
PUNCH Metro had earlier reported that the primary four pupil was defiled at different times by her teenage neighbours.
The police were reported to have arrested the suspects, but later released them without charges.
The victim’s father told our correspondent that after the report, the police re-arrested the suspects and took them to court.
He said a magistrate ordered one of the suspects, aged 18, and identified as Lateef to be remanded in the Ikoyi Custodial Centre, while others: Ebube, Ade, Sherif, and Kamal, were sent to a juvenile centre in Ogun State.
However, Asuquo said the Investigating Police Officer from the Bariga Police Station asked him to provide a vehicle to transport the defendants to the remand centres.
He said, “We went to court on Friday, thanks to the report by PUNCH newspapers because after that report, the Bariga policemen had no other option than to arraign the boys in court after PUNCH revealed the matter to the world.
“The parents of one of the boys used his car to bring all the suspects to the magistrates’ court at Yaba and after the whole thing, the magistrate recommended that Lateef, the oldest among them, should be remanded at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre.
“The magistrate also recommended that the others, who are under 18, should be sent to a correctional centre in Ogun State, though I don’t know the place. Meanwhile, in all this, the Bariga police told me to provide them with a vehicle to take the suspects to the Ikoyi centre and the juvenile centre in Ogun State.”
By Eric Elezuo
A security expect and Chief Executive Officer, Safety Signatures Limited, Dr. Cynthia Gregg, has identified the need for individuals to have intimidate and dominion over their fellow man as one of the reasons for the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Nigerian Civil space, thereby resulting in insecurity and unsafe habitation.
Gregg made the observation while participating as a panelist during the panel session of the 2023 National Security Conference of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP), on Thursday at the Civic Centre, Lagos.
The security practitioner noted that the issue of small arms and light weapons in the hands of non state actors, has become a major concern to all and sundry as killings abound, affecting both men in uniform and their civilian counterparts in the country today.
“We have noticed that in our society today, the person who carries the weapon is the most feared, and so because everyone wants to be feared, wants to dominate and intimidate the other person, they go to any length to acquire illegal weapons. That explains why when a robber encounters someone, the first thing they do is brandish a weapon or unleash some brutality to subdue their victim. It is the norm, unfortunately,” she said.
She further called on the public to encourage and help the law enforcement agencies to carry out their duties by saying something when they see something, and advocated community engagement to deal with challenges of proliferation of lethal weapons in the hands of non state actors.
Again, Gregg lauded the efforts of NAOSNP in using its platform to propagate safety and security through fruitful engagements with relevant institutions and reportage of credible security stories as well as advocacy through its enviable conferences.
The Lagos State Police Command had said the autopsy conducted on Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, had been concluded.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed this to The Punch during a telephone conversation on Thursday.
He said, “Autopsy has been concluded. Awaiting results.”
Earlier on, while responding to an enquiry by the paper concerning arrests made by the police in connection with the late singer’s death, Hundeyin said, “I can’t answer questions on the arrests yet because I don’t have that update. However, the nurse is in our custody; I can confirm that.”
The body of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as Mohbad, has been exhumed for autopsy.
Lagos State Police spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the development via his X handle on Thursday.
The Lagos Police image maker wrote: “Exhumation completed. Autopsy to commence. #JusticeForMohad #Justice4Mohbad.”
