I want justice, mother of raped primary school pupil cries out

THE mother of the 12-year-old primary school pupil, hawking snacks, who was raped in lgbokoda, Ondo State, by a security guard, has cried out for justice.

Madam Joy, the mother of the victim, called on the state government and well-meaning Nigerians to help her get justice for her daughter.

The victim, who was raped while hawking puff-puff was lured into an uncompleted building by the suspect and was forcefully defied.

Police source said the suspect, who hails from Kebbi went into hiding and later travelled out of the state to Kebbi State.

Vanguard was told that detectives from the state police command had traced him to Kebbi State where he is presently hiding.

Narrating her ordeal, Madam Joy said the incident happened on May 19, 2023, “when my daughter arrived from school on that fateful day. She told me to allow her hawk puff-puff because we needed some money for her school fees. 

“She returned home after an hour to eat and later left home to hawk again. When it was getting late, I  told one of my sisters, who was going out to help tell her to return home as it was getting late in the evening. 

“At few minutes before 7p.m., she came back home but immediately I saw her, I knew something was wrong because she looked tired and exhausted. While she was trying to explain to me what happened to her, she fainted but was revived at the hospital. 

“She was taken to the theatre for surgery as she had tears. It was after she woke up that she narrated how an aboki (Hausa man) raped her.

“She explained how the man raped her and we set out to apprehend the man and hand him to the police, but we were surprised to learn that he had run away to Kebbi State. 

“We reported the incident to the police, who told us that they had commenced a manhunt for the suspect, and assured us that he would be made to face the wrath of the law.

“We have spent a lot of money at the hospital,  and she was discharged some few days ago after we went through hell before paying the hospital bills. There is no one to help and I have lost many things because of this incident.

“We reported the case to the police and they demanded she takes us to where the incident happened, where the police recovered some items as evidence. 

“We were later told the suspect had run away from the town as confirmed by their Seriki (leader) while the police told us they were on the case and had sent people to Kebbi to arrest him.”

The mother of the victim, however, said some people have been pestering the family to drop the case against the suspect while some human rights groups have been coming to know the truth of the matter. 

“My little girl has not been herself since the incident happened, she is traumatised and the incident affected the family negatively,” she said. 

Contacted, the state police image maker, Funmi Odunlami, confirmed that police detectives have trailed the suspect to Kebbi State in a bid to effect his arrest.

“We want to assure the public that justice will take its full course immediately the suspect is brought back and we conclude investigations,” she added.