One Owolabi Timothy, a 29-year-old man is currently being interrogated at the Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku for defiling a 13-year-old Abimbola Asumo in Ibadan.
According to the Nigerian Tribune, until her defilement, Asumo was said to be a virgin while she also has down syndrome and is unable to speak efficiently.
Owolabi who was visiting with his cousin at 32, Adetola street Felele, Ibadan was alleged to have lured Asumo into his host’s room, gagged and defiled her, on Thursday.
After the defilement, Owolabi was said to have given Asumo the sum of N500 while warning her not to tell anyone else or she will be dealt with.
Asumo’s mother, Iyabo, who left her at home in Ibadan to go get food for the family to eat returned to find her daughter hiding under the stairs crying.
Asumo couldn’t explain to her mother but it took the physical and medical examination to realise her daughter had been defiled.
Upon enquiry, she pointed at the room where she was violated and it was discovered that Owolabi had escaped.
It, however, took the swift response of officers of Felele police station in Ibadan and cooperation of Timothy’s cousin to apprehend Owolabi at Toll-Gate, Ibadan where he was trying to flee to Lagos where he resides.
Neighbours alleged that he might have had company as he was seen with someone else that morning but Timothy claimed refuted, saying he singlehandedly carried out the act.
Owolabi, who was in handcuffs, said Asumo gave consent to the sexual act.
Owolabi said he didn’t lure Asumo noting that she followed him into the room and pulled down her pant herself.
“She stays upstairs and whenever I go out, she normally waves at me and we say, ‘My baby’ to each other.
“On Thursday, as she saw me going inside after I went to buy sachet water, the next thing I saw was her in my room.
“As a guy, I do not know what came over me. We played romantic play and then we had sex. I did not force her. I did not rape her; she pulled off her pants herself.
“Neighbors were in the house and would hear if I forced her. I did not lure her with anything. It’s only when they were looking for her that they saw traces that she came from my room,” Owolabi said.
