The police in Lagos State have commenced
investigation into how a nine-year-old girl died,
after sustaining injuries caused by alleged
consistent rape.
According to police authorities, the deceased was
raped over five times, by a 14-year-old student,
Onyi Adimabua, in the Ikorodu area of the state.
The father of the deceased, Simeon Jigo,
told PUNCH Metro that Onyi is the son of the
proprietor of the school his daughter attended.
He said his daughter opened up about the rape
when she started having medical problems.
The 77-year-old man said his daughter died on
October 3, 2013.
He said, “Up until my daughter’s death, she was
a pupil of Fulfilled Greenland School, Ikorodu, and
she was in primary three. One day, she came
home and started complaining of pains around
her vagina, stomach area. We rushed her to
Ikorodu General Hospital.
“A doctor checked her and after conducting some
tests on her, told us that my daughter had
sustained medical complications due to forced
sexual intercourse. I was alarmed by this; so, I
had a private discussion with my daughter.
“She told me that it was her school proprietor’s
son, Onyi, that had been raping her. The boy had
threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone
about it.”
The indigene of Ondo State told PUNCH
Metro that after initial treatments, he took his
daughter to Arogbo in Ondo State to be taken
care of but her condition continued to deteriorate.
A few days after the troubled father travelled to
Ondo State, Onyi, accompanied by his parents,
also travelled to Ondo State, to apologise to
Jigo’s family. The girl, however, was said to have
died that very day.
“On getting to the house where my daughter
was, we discovered that she was dead. Onyi
confessed that he had been raping my daughter
prior to her death,’ Jigo said.
PUNCH Metro learnt that after the girl’s demise,
irate youths in the area attempted to lynch the
14-year-old boy.
The bereaved father was said to have intervened
and reported the matter to a nearby police
station, where the teenager was held for safe
keeping. The next morning, Onyi and his parents
travelled back to Lagos.
The alleged rapist’s parents, in company with a
chief in Ikorodu, reportedly visited Jigo when he
returned to Lagos. The group were said to have
pleaded that the bereaved father should not
pursue the case but he refused.
Jigo said, “I went to the Ikorodu Police station to
report the case but was surprised when the
policemen on duty said I should not write any
statement. They only told me to write down my
telephone number and said they would call me
later.
“After waiting for many days without any call, I
wrote a petition and the matter was transferred to
the State Criminal Investigation Department,
Yaba.”
It was however learnt that Onyi had been taken
to his father’s hometown in Delta State thereby
stalling police investigation.
The teenager’s parents, however described the
incident as the handiwork of the devil.
The 14-year-old boy’s father, Andrew Adimabua,
said, “I trained that boy in the way of the Lord
and expected so much from him. He has
confessed to the act; there is nothing to hide. He
told me that he learnt about sex by watching blue
(pornographic) films.
“We are not hiding him and we will cooperate with
the police. On the day the little girl died, he was
beaten up and made to stay in the rain for hours.
As a result, he contracted pneumonia so we sent
him home for treatment. When he recovers, he’ll
be taken to the police for questioning.”
Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who
confirmed the incident to our correspondent on
the telephone, expressed shock at the
development.
Braide said Onyi would be re-arrested in the
course of investigation.
“It is appalling that a teenager could indulge in
such act. The matter is under investigation and
the culprit will be re-arrested.”
