Just In : Man arrested for allegedly defiling female hawker
The Ogun State Police Command has arrested Akinyode Rasaq, accused of defiling a 14-year-old hawker (name withheld) in the Bode Olude area of Abeokuta, the state capital.
Our correspondent gathered that the incident occurred at about 10 am on Sunday, May 5, 2024, when the teenage girl left the home to hawk steamed bean cake, popularly called Moi Moi in Yoruba.
PUNCH Metro learnt that during the hawking, the culprit allegedly approached the teenage hawker, pretending to be interested in purchasing the steamed bean cake.
According to a police document exclusively made available to our correspondent on Thursday, the suspect refused to pay her (the teenage girl) after purchasing N1000 worth of the steamed beans, insisting that he would only do so after he finished eating.
A divisional police source who declined to be identified because he lacked the authority to do so, said, “She left home to hawk. The suspect was believed to have chased her and persuaded her to sell the steamed bean cake to him.
“He said she had to wait for him to finish the steamed bean cake before he would pay the money. She said she was there for many hours, but the man refused to pay her. She didn’t even realise how much time had passed while she waited there, hoping the suspect would pay the money.
“Then, at about 1 p.m. on the same day, the suspect suddenly dragged the girl to his apartment in Bode Olude and had carnal knowledge of her before freeing her.”
Our correspondent further learnt that an aged woman who also lived in the street, identified simply as Nurat, corroborated the teenage hawker’s account of the incident to the police who visited the crime scene.
When contacted on Thursday, the spokesperson for the state command, Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro, disclosed that the suspect had been arrested and detained, adding that a medical test conducted on the teenage girl indicated that the suspect had a case to answer.
She said, “The minor was hawking when the suspect approached her, pretending to buy what she was selling, unknown to the girl that he had a clandestine and evil plan. He forcefully dragged her into his room and defiled the teenage girl. Our men at the Bode Olude Police Division visited the crime scene.
“A medical test was conducted on the teenage girl, and the result showed that there was forceful penetration. The case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.”
This is the second instance in which the state has received reports of adolescent females under the age of 14 being defiled.
A septuagenarian landlord in the Akute area of the state was arrested on Wednesday, according to a report by PUNCH Metro, after he was accused of impregnating his 14-year-old tenant’s daughter.
