“AS the girl sat on the edge of my bed, I turned and looked at her, but what I saw was not the young girl I knew. I saw a mature girl in her. I asked her ‘why are you turning to an adult?’, and she replied: ‘I did not turn to anything’.

This was the claim of a 65-year-old Mr. Bola Kehinde, a fire extinguisher repairer, residing at Inalende area of Ibadan, Oyo State, when he was arrested for defiling an 11-year-old daughter of his neighbour (names withheld) on Friday, March 6, 2015. The crime was reportedly committed at about 4p.m.

The neighbour, one Mrs Comfort (surname withheld) had reported the criminal act at Mokola Police Station same day. The victim was said to have bled so much as the suspect used his finger and manhood during the act of defilement.

The Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Division, John Aku, a Chief Superintendent of Police, was said to have ordered the arrest of the suspect immediately after the case was reported, while the girl was taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

In an interview with Crime Reports, Mr Kehinde admitted that he committed the act he was accused of, but said he acted under the influence of alcohol, coupled with the fact that the girl looked like an adult when erotic feelings came over him.

According to him, “I live in the same house with the parents of the girl involved. She had always been a good girl because she used to run errands for me. She would fetch water for me, grind pepper or help me wash plates. Her older siblings used to do the same thing for me but she was more frequent with me than others.

“That day, she fetched four kegs of water for me and I gave a N100 note to an elderly neighbour to help me give the girl. I later saw the woman and she said she forgot to deliver my message to the girl. She promised to give the girl immediately.

“Later, the girl came to my room to inform me that the neighbour had given her the money and I asked her to go and keep it. She asked of other chores that she could for me. Meanwhile, I had taken a bottle of gin that afternoon. I asked to buy fufu for me but she returned to say she could not get to buy.

“I was busy gathering fire extinguisher bottles while she sat on my bed. Suddenly, I saw that she turned into an adult in my sight. I called her name and she answered me. I asked again whether she was the one sitting down on the bed and she replied in the affirmative.

“I don’t know how I could explain it. I asked her to leave but she did not go. I stepped out and came back into my room. I still noticed that she looked like an adult to me. That was when the problem started. I became aroused. I removed her pants and started fingering her. She cried and told me it was hurting her. But I calmed her, asking her to relax.

“I later used my penis to penetrate her but I could not go all the way. I was stuck midway. Though she started crying, I had lost control of myself. By the time I decided to withdraw my manhood from her, I saw blood gushing out of her private part and I became scared.

“I tried to clean her up and told her that I would treat her but she refused to heed to my petting. As her mother came into the house, she called her daughter and she answered from my room. That was how her mother discovered what I did.”

The man revealed that he had had two wives, each of them at a different time, but they had left him. “The second one left six years ago. I have five children with her but they don’t live with me. They come on visits and go.

“I have a lady friend and she comes once in a while. I don’t usually have sex with women because of my job but what happened with the girl I defiled, I don’t know.”

He also admitted that he used to drink alcohol and smoke cigarette.

“The occurrence is beyond my imagination. I cry everyday because I have my own children and would not want such a thing to befall my daughter. I will not take such a thing from anyone. I admit that I have behaved irresponsibly but I plead for mercy,” the suspect said.

On what fate would befall the young girl who had lost her virginity, the suspect promised to take care of her if her parents would agree.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the story, saying that the suspect had been transferred to the Department of Criminal Investigation, Iyaganku, Ibadan, for further investigation.

The man revealed that he had had two wives, each of them at a different time, but they had left him. “The second one left six years ago. I have five children with her but they don’t live with me. They come on visits and go.

According to him, “I live in the same house with the parents of the girl involved. She had always
been a good girl because she used to run errands
for me. She would fetch water for me, grind
pepper or help me wash plates. Her older siblings
used to do the same thing for me but she was
more frequent with me than others.

See excuse

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Mr Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the story, saying that the suspect had been transferred to the Department of Criminal Investigation, Iyaganku, Ibadan, for further investigation.