25th January, 2011
An Islamic cleric, Alfa Muritala Oyedeji yesterday faced trial before an Ejigbo magistrate’s court in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria for allegedly raping a 10-year old girl.
Giving evidence in the court yesterday, the first prosecution witness and mother of the victim, 37-year old Mrs. Idowu Babatunde told the court presided over by Mrs.S.O. Solebo that after Muritala had allegedly raped her daughter, he placed her on an oath not to tell anyone.
She narrated that on the day of the incident, she went to her normal business only to be contacted through a phone call that Muritala had raped her daughter in their house at Igando road, near Ikotun in Alimosho area of Lagos State.
After the incident, he brought a cup of water and gave it to her to swear that she will not tell anyone about it, the woman told the court.
But someone who caught them in the act reportedly contacted her about the incident.
She confronted her daughter who was afraid to tell her what happened because of the oath she had taken.
She explained that she knew the defendant about two years ago, and trusted him and gave him unrestricted access to her house and could not imagine that he could rape her daughter.
She also told the court that when she came back and took her daughter to a hospital she and the doctor who examined her witnessed some semen coming out from the private part of the victim and she was placed on an intensive treatment for days.
Muritala was arrested and charged to the court for allegedly raping the little girl. When he was first arraigned, he pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted bail in the sum of N200,000 and two sureties in like sum.
The matter was then adjourned for hearing.
After her evidence, Mrs. Babatunde was cross-examined by the defendant’s counsel.
Thereafter, the presiding magistrate, Mrs. Solebo adjourned the matter till 7 March for continuation of the trial.
—Cyriacus Izuekwe
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