Crime

Court insists 3 pre-teen victims of rape by cleric must testify in court

Published

7 years ago

February 11, 2020

Editor

A mother has told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court that her three daughters, aged 12, nine and seven were allegedly defiled by a cleric.

She spoke as the second prosecution witness in the trial of one Ibrahim Idris, a 26-year-old cleric.

The mother of six, while being led in evidence by the state counsel, Gbenga Alagbe, said she knew about the alleged defilement from a teacher in the school her daughters attend.

“In 2017, I received a call from the teacher of the school my children go to for lessons. The teacher told me that one of my daughters told her something and that she wanted me to hear for myself what she said.
“When we got to the office at the school, my oldest daughter (Daughter A) said that Idris slept with her and her younger sisters.
“I was told by the teacher that earlier while Daughter “A” was being interrogated about the allegations, she ran out of the class.
“A mother had seen her and took her back into the school and when she saw a male teacher she was scared because Idris was sleeping with her anytime she sees a male teacher, she becomes becomes withdrawn and scared ,” the mother said.
The mother said following the revelation, she took her children home from school and her husband who was not around during that period, arrived two days later on Aug. 11, 2017.
“We asked him about the allegations and he insisted nothing happened. We took him to the police station for questioning and we were referred to the Mirabel Center at Ikeja for medical examinations.
“I had asked Daughter B (9-years-old) about the allegations and she said it was true, I had asked Daughter A (12-years-old) about the allegations but she was afraid to tell me what happened.
“However, when we got to the police station, Daughter A told me what had happened,” the mother said.
While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Lekan Ijelu, the mother said the defendant had been living with her family when he allegedly committed the crimes.
“He lived with us for seven or eight years, when he was living with us permanently, he used to go for his Islamic classes in the morning around 8am and returns around 5pm.
“When he was temporarily residing with us, he used to stay on Fridays to Sundays,” she said.
The mother told the court that there were six adult males including the defendant who had lived in her home with her husband who was also a cleric.
“He is a gentle boy, he says the truth all the time and when I am going out, I leave my kids with him to take care of them for me, I trusted him so much, I was shocked to hear what he did to my daughters,” she said.
Following her evidence, the state prosecutor appealed to the presiding judge to address the mother in order to ensure that the mother brings her three daughters to court to testify against Ibrahim.
“My lord, the witness said that she did not want to bring her daughters to testify, because she feels it may be traumatic for them,” Alagbe said.
Responding, Justice Sybil Nwaka told the mother that preventing her children from coming to court will amount to the offence of obstruction of justice.
“The children are victims they must come to court to testify. This case is not your case, it is the case of the Lagos State Government.
“You reported the case, the children must come to court to testify, that is the process and procedure if not you will be regarded as a hostile witness and that is an offence,” Justice Nwaka said and adjourned the case until March 4