- I only slept with her twice before I was caught – septuagenarian
BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
A 16-year-old girl has narrated with chilling details how her grandfather, Hammed Afolabi, allegedly turned her into a sex machine and raped her serially for about two years.
The 74-year-old suspect was accused of forcing the teenager to bed repeatedly since 2021 when she was brought under his custody.
It was gathered that the girl, name withheld, was brought to Osun State in 2021 by her parents and put under the care of Afolabi who lives at Temidayo community zone 3 Olodo Owode Ede, in Ede-North Local Government Area of the state, where the incident happened.
The Point learnt that the girl narrated her ordeals to one of the residents in the area after her parents allegedly turned deaf ears to her complaints, a situation that led to the arrest of the septuagenarian by the police.
One of those who reported the matter to the police in the area told The Point, under condition of anonymity, that, “The paternal grandfather has been having forceful sexual intercourse with his granddaughter and the girl has been complaining. In fact, the family members are aware. The victim had reported her grandpa to her parents but they dismissed her claims thinking that the girl wanted to stigmatize and rubbish the old man.
“The girl was brought to the man when she was at the age of 14 years and that was in 2021 and we discovered, through the accounts of the girl, that her grandpa started sneaking into her room at night to defile and rape her few weeks after she started living with him.
“When the man was caught in the community, he confessed that he committed the act but claimed that he only raped the girl twice.”
Findings by The Point in court confirmed that the suspect wrote a statement that he only had sexual intercourse with the under aged girl two times.
The matter was said to have been reported to the police on May 4, 2023.
After the suspect’s arrest, he was dragged before an Osogbo Chief Magistrate’s Court on May 10 for offences bordering on indecent assault and rape, which contravened the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015 and Child Right Act.
Afolabi, who was remanded in Ilesa Correctional Centre by the court upon arraignment, was later granted bail.
It was gathered that the state Ministry of Justice took over the matter from the police.
The state government, through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Wole Jimi-Bada promised to ensure diligent prosecution and justice for the molested girl.
When the matter was mentioned before Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara on Tuesday, the prosecution team told the court that it was still gathering their evidence for full hearing.
The team urged the court for more time. However, Ayilara adjourned the case till December 12.
Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation in the state, Value Female Network, has urged the prosecution to do everything within its control to facilitate justice for the victim.
VFN’s Gender Unit Head, Ruth Atooki, said the organisation has been watching the matter and would be interested in supporting the prosecution in whatever way necessary in order for the case to be timeously determined.
