Man rapes disabled teenager in son’s presence

A 35-year-old artisan, simply identified as Mukaila, aka Owawa, has allegedly raped a 14-year-old physically challenged girl.
Our correspondent learnt that the suspect allegedly committed the crime in the presence of his seven-year-old son.
The incident happened at Peluola Street, Mafoluku Oshodi area of Lagos State.
Our correspondent gathered that the suspect had requested the victim (names withheld), who is living with a hearing impairment, to buy him N100 noodles, when he forced her into a shop, where he allegedly raped her.
Mukaila, a painter and sign writer, our correspondent learnt, perpetrated the crime inside a shop he was contracted to paint.
It was gathered that the victim was coming from the mosque, where she had gone for the 8:00pm prayers before she was accosted by Mukaila, who then took her into the shop and had carnal knowledge of her.
Meanwhile, three children of one Mr. Moshood Onifade, a neighbour, who identified the suspect, saw him when he took the victim inside the shop and locked the door and windows.
The children, it was learnt, alarmed their father that the suspect, who they addressed as ‘brother Mukaila’ had taken a “small girl into Alhaja Mujilat’s shop” and had locked the door and window.
The alarm prompted Onifade, who hurriedly rushed to the scene and found the door and window locked from within.
He, however, forced the door open and found the suspect struggling to wear his knickers.
Speaking to our correspondent, the victim’s father, Mr. Jelili Omilade, said, “That night, she went to mosque, Opeloyeru Central Mosque, as usual, for the 8:00pm prayers, but she returned very late.
“Ordinarily, when she goes to the mosque like that, she usually comes back latest before nine and I always meet her at home. I am the Chief Imam in that same mosque. So, when she came back around past nine that day, I noticed she was not comfortable and she started pointing to her side that she was having pains there.
“But I thought maybe she had gone to play with some of her friends at the mosque, who might have hit her, but she continued pointing towards the side. So, the following morning, I took her to go and find who must have hurt her.”
The victim’s father added, “I thought it was at the mosque, but we went further until we got to the shop where she was raped and she started looking curiously if she would find the guy. I still didn’t understand what message she was trying pass across. We eventually went back home.
“It was three days after, that two children of Mr. Moshood came to our house and told the eldest of my children, Balikis what Mukaila had done to her. When I came back, she told me what had happened and I took her to Mr. Moshood, who confirmed the incident.”
When contacted, Mr. Moshood Onifade said, “It was a very painful experience for me, because if I had known that she was the daughter of our Chief Imam, I would not have left him (Mukaila).
“I caught him red handed. It was my children who called my attention that brother Mukaila took a small girl into the shop and had locked the door and window. They took me there and I met the door and window locked. I forced the door open and I met him about to wear his knickers. Immediately I dragged him out and started beating him with one other person.
“His seven-year-old son was there and confirmed that his father raped the girl. Even the girl was very sad and she threw at him the N100 he gave her to buy the noodles.
“I would have dragged Mukaila to the police station, but because the girl could not talk and I didn’t want a situation whereby I won’t be able to trace the girl to anybody, that was why I let go of him after giving him some beatings.”
Meanwhile, the case has been reported at Makinde Police Station, Mafoluku Oshodi, but the suspect has since been at large and efforts to find him have not yielded result.
When contacted, the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent Chike Oti, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect would be tracked and arrested.
“He cannot hide for too long. We will track him down and get him arrested. Anybody with useful information about the suspect’s whereabouts should notify the police,”
he said.