11-Year Old Raped to Death: Victim’s Family Indicts Police, Demands Justice

The aggrieved family of a 11-year old Ms Favour Okechukwu who was allegedly ganged-raped-to-death by four men in October 2020 around Ejigbo area of Lagos State have raised an alarm, alleging that the police have been compromised and has subsequently released the arrested suspects who perpetrated the crime and confessed to it.

Father of the raped victim, Mr John Okechukwu, narrated the family’s ordeal to newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, saying that, the arrested culprits have been unduly released by the police, without recourse to the agony of the bereaved family and justice.

He said the suspects were hurriedly arraigned at an Ebute Meta Magistrate Court in Lagos without knowledge of the victims family and they have been released.

The traumatised Okechukwu, said the incident happened Sept. 29TH 2020 at No 4 Olarenwaju Street Ejigbo, Lagos.

The incident happened when the child was sent on an errand by her mother around 3 p.m. on the day.

Her body was found in a pool of her own blood in a room at No.4, Olanrewaju Street, Ejigbo.

He named the prime suspects two of whom later made confessional statements to included: Ajom Princewill Tabi, Omobolanle Olowoowoke, Aliu Adesola Bilyamin.

Others were Emmanuel Okon, Bolanrinwa Olamilekan, Badmus Abdulatif, Quadri Azeez and Sunday Odunayo.

Recall that the Lagos State House of Assembly had urged strict implementation of rape laws, acceleration of rape cases in the court, cancellation of stigmatisation of rape victims and punishment of rapists.

According to Okechukwu, when the sad incident occurred, it was reported to the Ejigbo police station, later, it was transferred to the Panti Homicide Department for better handling.

However, the two Investigation Police Officers (IPO’s) who have handled the case so far, deliberately frustrated legal proceedings to get justice.

The two police IPO’s are; Supro Yinka at Ejigbo Police, and Supro Ibrahim at Panti.

Speaking, Okechukwu said “Omobolanle Olowoowoke an accused that claimed to be a nurse, who at the instance of the gang administered medication to the late favour to revive her before she died happen to be related to IPO Supro Yinka of the Ejigbo police station where the case was first reported.

“Because of his vested interest in the case the IPO doctored and deformed the case file before handling it over to the Panti station for further investigation.

“At the Panti police station the IPO in charge of the case Supro Ibrahim got influenced by Yinka who continued to give Ibrahim further directive on ways to further render the case file watery and inconsequential to aid the accused evade justice,” he said.

The man who accused the police of compromise, said that the Department of Public Prosecution (DPP) could not find any incriminating document in the case file submitted by the police therefore released the suspects.

The father, who described the death of his daughter who was on an errand for the mother, before she was waylaid, gang-raped-to-death as cruelty, said only justice could heal the scare in their heart.

He appealed to the Lagos State Government, the Nigerian state and other authorities concern to assist and ensure that perpetrators of this heinous crime were brought to book.

Also speaking on the rape case, Counsel to the family Mr Alex Ishogba, who expressed dismay over the sharp practices of the IPOs said that both the finger print report on the body of deceased, the autopsy report from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Ikeja and the confessional statements made by the suspects, were expunged from the file.

“For the police that has been foot-dragging in investigating the case to hurriedly in December 2020 rush the suspects before an Ebute Meta Magistrates Court without informing the complainants, showed something was fishing.

“Through mere oral application without a single documentation the suspects got freed on frivolities this is the height of miscarriage of justice and must be resisted,” he said.

The lawyer, appealed to the IGP and the Police authority to properly investigate the case with a view to serving justice to the people and the society.

Our correspondent gathered that No 4 Olarenwaju Street Ejigbo, Lagos was a known criminal hide out with hoodlums smoking hemp and perpetrating nuisance on the entire community.

Residents said the Nigerian Police have been notified of the criminal activities going on in the compound but the police has failed to clean up the area.

In his response, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, a Chief Superintendent of Police said that, the police could not have acted wrongly in the rape case.

The official, who said he has no information on the case, haven been appointed to the position two weeks ago.

He added that as a professional body; the organisation must have acted in the best interest of the public in freeing the suspects.