The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 400-level student of the University of Lagos, Akoka, Oluwaseyi Anyiam, for alleged defilement of a female student of the institution. The 22-year-old suspect in the Department of Actuarial Sciences was also accused of taking the picture of the victim, after allegedly dipping his finger into her private parts. The duo were said to be friends.
Anyiam had invited the victim, Tolu (pseudonym), to an eatery in the Alagomeji area of the state. After the meal, the suspect reportedly told the 16-year-old that he wanted to pick something he left at home and begged her to accompany him to pick it. The girl told the police that Anyiam, on arrival at his apartment, started making advances to her, and went berserk when she resisted the amorous moves.
A source said; “The sexual assault occurred on August 3, 2017. The survivor said on that day, she went to visit Anyiam at an eatery. Thereafter, he told her that he wanted to pick up something from the house and go back to school afterwards. “On her arrival at his house, she saw only his friend, who was sitting in the living room, playing music really loud.
“The survivor alleged that Anyiam urged her to go into the room with him. She said he stole a kiss from her and she told him to stop, but he refused. He then forcefully inserted his finger into her private parts and performed oral sex on her.
“She alleged that Anyiam asked her to do the same to him, but she refused and pleaded with him. She said Anyiam threatened to blackmail her and call his friends to gang-rape her. She said while begging and crying, he took a picture of her, which was later deleted. He was about having sex with her when she managed to push him away.”
Our correspondent learnt that the incident was brought to the notice of the school authorities, which reported same to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. The DSVRT Coordinator, Mrs. Lola Vivour-Adeniyi, said a team went to the university on August 9 to get the perpetrator, but was told that the case had been transferred to the Sabo Police Station.
She said;
“We went to the police station, but we were told the parties had ‘resolved the issues.’ The following day, DSVRT met with the survivor and her parents. They said they wanted to prosecute but they were told that they were going to be stigmatised if they did so and that the survivor’s education would be affected.
“Afterwards, the family was counselled and made to realise that there is no stigma in reporting a crime. The case file was thereafter transferred to the Lagos State Police Command Gender Unit and the perpetrator was taken into custody.” The suspect was consequently arraigned in the Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on one count of sexual assault to which he pleaded not guilty.
The charge read, “That you, Oluwaseyi Anyiam, on August 3, 2017, at about 2pm, at Alagomeji, Ebute Meta, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did sexually assault a 16-year-old girl by penetrating into her private parts, thereby committing an offence punishable under Section 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.”
The presiding magistrate, Mrs. B.O. Osusanmi, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties each in like sum.
The magistrate said the sureties must be gainfully employed, provide evidence of two years’ tax payment, and present their residential addresses for verification.
Adjourning the matter till October 19, 2017, Osusanmi directed that the duplicate case file should be forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
