Olaleye Aluko
The police in Lagos State have arrested a
computer teacher, Cosmos Ubaja, for allegedly raping a 14-year-old
schoolgirl in the Owutu area of Ikorodu.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the
victim, Victoria (pseudonym), was lured by the suspect when she went to
his shop to make photocopies after school hours.
Our correspondent gathered that
Victoria, who attends a public secondary school in Owutu, Ikorodu, had
been allegedly raped by the suspect on several occasions in eight
months.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the
victim, who is in Junior Secondary School, Class 3, was given pittances
such as N50, N100 and N30, each time the suspect raped her.
It was learnt that the suspect, who owns
a computer centre in the area, was contracted by the school to teach
the junior pupils computer studies.
PUNCH Metro was told that the suspect gave Victoria N30 after the latest rape, which occurred on Wednesday, June 1, 2016.
A police source told our correspondent
that the bubble burst when the girl complained to her mother that she
had stomach pains and her menstrual cycle was affected.
She said, “Ubaja is married with a son.
He is not a worker of the state government. The school just arranged
with him to be teaching the pupils computer studies since he has a
computer centre.
“He works on the school’s examination
papers and answer sheets. The school is in a very quiet community.
Pupils usually go to his centre to make photocopies and train with his
computers.
“The suspect had been raping the girl
for months. He gave her between N30 and N100 each time. The girl kept
the secret away from her parents.
“But the last time he raped her, she
complained to her mother that she was having stomach pains and her
menstruation had stopped. She was then taken to a private hospital.
“That was where it was discovered that
she had been raped several times. The girl confessed that it was the
computer instructor who raped her and he was arrested. He has also
confessed to the crime.”
Our correspondent learnt that the
matter, which was reported at the Owutu Police Division, was also
reported to the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team,
Alausa.
The DSVRT team took the victim for a checkup at the Mirabel Centre, Ikeja.
The group’s Coordinator, Lola
Vivour-Adeniyi, said the matter had been transferred to the Gender Unit
of the Lagos State Police Command.
She said, “The matter got to our
attention on Monday, June 20. The 14-year-old girl was raped by her
computer teacher near the school’s premises.
“The teacher and some individuals around
the school initially pleaded with the girl’s parents not to report to
the police. Fortunately, they rejected the plea.
“The perpetrator is in police custody
and the case has been transferred from the division to the Gender Unit
at the police headquarters, Ikeja. The Directorate of Public
Prosecutions has also requested the duplicate case file.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, had yet to reply to a text message sent to her phone on the incident.
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