A security guard, Kate Imasuen, had her tooth knocked out on Sunday for protesting against the defilement of her 14-year-old ward, Favour, in Arepo, Ogun State.
Imasuen, who also sustained injuries in the hand, was reportedly attacked by relatives of one Sunday, aka Sunny, a motorcycle rider, who allegedly defiled Favour.
Sunday was alleged to have abducted and hid Favour for four days in his house on Pure Water Street, Arepo, during which he allegedly slept with the victim.
Thirty-two-year-old Imasuen was reportedly protesting the defilement when the suspect’s relatives beat her up.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Favour’s father, who is from Cote D’Ivoire, and Edo State-born Imasuen were in a relationship.
He had left his only daughter from a previous marriage in Imasuen’s care and travelled back to his country in March 2017, with a promise to return two months later for her.
Imasuen said her lover later informed her that his plan fell through and he would not return until October.
She said, “I feed her well and give her all that she needs. However, sometime in April, I saw her with a loaf of bread and asked who bought it for her. She said Sunny, a neighbour from the next compound.
“Since I knew what that kind of gesture could mean, I called the man and told him Favour was 14 years old and a minor. I told him to stay away from her and not allow her big stature to deceive him. After I spoke, Sunny’s sister and elder brother, who live with him, insulted me. They asked if I was up to her age when I was deflowered.
“Two weeks ago, I travelled to Benin to see my family members; I returned on Thursday, October 25 and I saw her putting on a weavon (hair weave). I asked how she got money for it and told her to remove it because I don’t allow such in my house. That was how she disappeared.”
Imasuen said she searched for Favour to no avail, adding that Sunday’s elder sister, one Maria, denied knowing her whereabouts.
She said after fruitless search, the 14-year-old emerged around 10.30pm, adding that attempts to know where she hid were abortive.
“I insisted that she must remove the weavon, but my elder sister asked me to bring her inside the house. When I went to call her, she was gone again. When I called her father, he said I should not report to the police yet.
“On Sunday, around 8am, she suddenly emerged from her hideout. I asked where she had been and when she didn’t reply, I told her to return to where she came from. That was when she left the second time.
“I asked neighbours the direction she took and I was told she went to Sunny’s room. Then it dawned on me that she had been there all along. I remembered they had bought thick curtains for their door and windows to shield her. Sunny’s sister had been cooking for her, with four men with her in the room. She was being defiled.
“Sunny’s family started begging me. I told them that they backstabbed me despite knowing that I had been looking for the girl. That was how they pounced on me, knocked out my tooth and inflicted injuries on my body,” she added.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Sunday went to report the case to the police at the Warewa Police Post.
Imasuen, who had gone to treat her injuries at a hospital, returned to hear that the police had been looking for her.
She was said to have reported at the station and after narrating what happened, the police arrested Sunday for allegedly abducting and defiling the 14-year-old.
Favour told our correspondent that although Sunday had slept with her four times, he didn’t touch her for the period she slept in his house.
She explained that she fled to the suspect after Imasuen asked her to remove the hair weave on her head.
She said, “She treats me well, although she sometimes beat me over nothing. Sunny and I became friends in April. That was when he started sleeping with me. Since the time we have been dating, he has slept with me only four times. I am 14 years old, but I don’t know his age.
“On the Thursday that she (Imasuen) came back, I plaited my hair using weavon and she said I must remove it. Out of fear, I asked Sunny for money to travel back to Cote’D’Ivoire to meet my mother. He promised to give me money on Sunday and said I should stay in his room till then.
“That night, he said I should first go and beg her. When I returned, she beat me up and ordered me to go outside. So, Sunny kept me in his room till Sunday.
“When I returned to her (Imasuen) on Sunday, she asked where I was coming from. I then returned to Sunny’s room. She started abusing him and calling him a kidnapper. Sunny’s brother begged her, but she refused to listen. She was angry and started beating me. Because Sunny’s brother prevented her from beating me, she started insulting him. That was how the fight started. Sunny did not touch me for the four days I was in his room. I was menstruating at the time.”
PUNCH Metro learnt that the police had ordered medical tests to be conducted on the victim, while Sunday was held in custody.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, said he would call back, but had yet to do so as of press time.
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