A 39- year- old tailor, Abdulhammed Shaafi, is cooling his heels in police net for allegedly raping an eight- year- old girl, simply identified as Waliyat in Sango area of Ilorin, Kwara State, penultimate Monday.
It was gathered that the suspect assaulted the girl several times before he was exposed and consequently arrested.
According to a police source, the case was reported at the Area Command office, Ilorin by mother of the minor.
The source said that the woman, who is based in Lagos State had kept her daughter in custody of her parents, who live at Sango area before the incident.
“Sometime in June 2018, she came down from Lagos to visit her parents and while bathing Waliyah, noticed stains on her private part, which she did not give much thought to.
The source further said that in July, Rukayat took her daughter to Lagos for the holiday and discovered that she was seriously ill.
“She was rushed to the hospital where the mother received shocking revelation that the girl had been defiled. Upon persistent interrogation, her daughter revealed Shaafi as perpetrator of the act.
“The mother said the suspect who rented a shop from the girl’s grandfather had been sexually assaulting her daughter since May this year.
“The girl further revealed that Shaafi first took advantage of her when she sought his assistance with a school assignment. He subsequently had carnal knowledge of the girl severally after giving her N20 on each occasion.
“He was said to have threatened to kill her with scissor if she ever revealed what transpired between them to anyone.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime and examination conducted on the girl by doctor at the clinic of the state police command revealed that the girl had been violated.”
Efforts to contact the state Police Spokesperson, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, on the issue proved abortive as calls and text messages sent to his phone were not responded to as at the time of filling this report.
