Police officers in Owutu police Division, Ikorodu, Lagos, have been accused of collecting N5000 gate fee and statement charges with four writing pens before attending to a case reported by a rape victim and her mother, FirstNews has learned.
Our correspondent gathered that the victim, a secondary school student, was raped by a bread bakery worker, Farouk Adeshina,29, who resides at 56, Sultan Bello Street, Ita Elewa Street, Agric, Ikorodu, Lagos.
Following the incident, the victim and her mother attempted to lodge a complaint with the police at the Owutu Division, but they were extorted by some police officers at the station.
Findings by our correspondent revealed that on getting to the police station, the victim’s mother was forced to pay N500 to a police officer as gate fee and later the female police officer at the Gender Unit of the Division, identified as Toyin, collected the sum of N4500 from the rape victim and her mother before attending to them.
Narrating her experience, the victim’s mother said, “On getting to the police station at Owutu, the police officer at the gate demanded N500 from us as gate fee before he could allow us inside and I gave it to him. When I got inside, I was directed to the Gender Unit to complain. On getting there, a woman police officer, Toyin, requested me to pay N10.000 for statement and buy four pens, but I pleaded with her that I didn’t have such an amount. Later, I gave her N4500, but she gave N4000 to her superior, Inspector Wole, and my statement was taken. After that, I asked them about how they would arrest the suspect, but they told me the area is volatile for their operation.”
On her part, the victim, while relating her experience in the hands of the suspect, said she was lured with an errand before being raped.
“Mr Farouk begged me to help him to buy pure water, which I obliged. On getting back, I didn’t see him outside and I decided to check his apartment and give it to him. On getting there, he grabbed my neck and covered my mouth. All my efforts to resist him were futile as he overpowered me. He tore my undies and forcefully slept with me”, the victim said.
A Child Rights Advocate, Mr Toyin Okanlawon, who spoke with First News, accused the officers at the Gender Unit at Owutu Division of the Police of making attempts to pervert justice.
He said, “We didn’t meet the DPO but the DTO, DSP Kingsley, attended to us well; the survivor’s mother was also able to identify the guard that collected N500 from her.
“The gender police officers at Owutu police station gave excuses that the survivors’ mother didn’t come back to the station after they painted a picture to her that the area, where the crime occurred, was a no-go area.
“Today, the perpetrator was sighted to have come home after night work at the bakery; so while he was sleeping, we put a call through to the DCO, who waited for our undercover agent to reach the station and led the policemen to the house to make the arrest of Faruq.”
Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, could not be reached for comments on the matter as of press time.