BY TIMOTHY AGBOR, OSOGBO
For a 14-year-old girl (name withheld), there is absolutely nothing to live for after her horrific experience in the hands of seven teenage boys who allegedly raped her serially in the space of one month, The Point can exclusively report.
Burdened by her horrendous experience in the hands of the boys, alleged to have been involved in internet fraud, popularly known as ‘Yahoo Yahoo’, she attempted to take her life.
It was gathered that the girl, who lives in Osogbo, capital of Osun State, was raped in turn in hotels, open school field and other places they met her. After the first alleged raped carried out in one of the hotels in Osogbo where she was reportedly video recorded by some of her abusers, the girl had been blackmailed with the sex tape into succumbing to the boys’ forceful sexual intercourse anytime and anywhere they met her.
The Point gathered that the seven friends, between the ages of 17 and 21, had carnal knowledge of the girl at different times between February and March, 2023.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that the female victim was wooed for a relationship by one of the seven friends, simply identified as Usman Abiodun Alowonle, an 18-year-old boy, and that after some days of pestering, she yielded to his advances.
Alowonle, who had informed his friends that the girl had accepted his romance proposal, allegedly took the girl to a hotel in Osogbo to have fun with her. His other six friends traced them to the hotel.
After Alowonle had already had sexual intercourse with the girl, his friends started knocking repeatedly at the hotel room door and asked Alowonle to allow them have their turn.
It was gathered that the friends had engaged in fisticuffs after Alowonle denied them access to the hotel room. The manager of the hotel was said to have intervened after the boys exchanged blows. Alowonle reportedly succumbed and also joined in abusing and raping his minor lover.
“The hotel manager mediated by asking the boys to enter the room and make love with the girl one after the other. During the sexual act, some of the boys were said to have made videos of the rape, which they used in threatening the girl. Ever since all of them raped the girl, wherever they met her, they would rape her. They raped her at a school field, and there was a day the girl said they raped her while coming from the Mosque in the evening. They all live in the same neighbourhood and that was why it was easy for the culprits to have their way after threatening her with the sex video they already had,” a security source informed The Point.
It was further gathered that when the victim got fed up with her ordeals, she left a suicide note for her parents where she narrated what she had been going through.
Sighting the suicide letter, her parents reportedly raised the alarm to a Non-Government Organisation before the incident was reported to the Osun State Department of State Services in Osogbo.
The DSS arrested three out of the seven boys and dragged them before an Osogbo Chief Magistrate’s Court. The Point learnt that one of the suspects died mysteriously recently after their act was leaked. The two other suspects were said to have fled to unknown locations.
However, the three arrested suspects, including Usman Abiodun Alowonle, aged 18; Malik Tunde Kazeem, aged 17; and Sodiq Adewale Bello, 19, were docked by the secret police on two counts of conspiracy and rape.
According to the DSS prosecuting counsel, A. A. Ademodi, the three youngsters raped the 14-year-old girl at different places and on several occasions between the months of February and March, 2023.
The charge brought against the young accused persons read, “That you, Usman Abiodun Alowonle, male, 18 years of age, Malik Tunde Kazeem, male, 17 years of age and Sodiq Adewale Bello, male, 19 years of age and others now at large about the month of February 2023 in Osogbo; within the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court did commit felony to wit; conspiracy to forcefully and unlawfully have carnal knowledge of one girl (name withheld) and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 516 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
“That you, Usman Abiodun Alowonle, male, 18 years of age; Malik Tunde Kazeem, male, 17 years of age; and Sodiq Adewale Bello, male, 19 years of age, and others now at large, between the months of February and March, 2023, on several occasions and at different places in Osogbo (including Sadat area) had forceful and unlawful carnal knowledge of one girl (name withheld), 14 years of age and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 517 and 358 of the Criminal Code Law, Cap 34, Vol. II, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.”
The accused persons pleaded not guilty to the counts.
Chief Magistrate Olusegun Ayilara asked the defence counsel, T. O. Idowu, to furnish the court with a formal bail application. Ayilara ordered that the defendants be remanded in Ilesa Correctional Centre and adjourned the case till June 5 for mention.
