By John Chikezie
Lagos (Precise Post) – An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court, Lagos, yesterday heard how a 27-year-old school bus driver, Afeez Balogun, allegedly defiled a
two-year-old pupil (name withheld) of Holbrook School, Gbagada.
The victim’s mother (identity withheld), who narrated the incident to the court, said that Balogun defiled her baby sometime in July 2018 on the premises of Holbrook Crèche Nursery and Primary School, Pedro, Gbagada, Lagos.
Balogun is standing trial for allegedly having sexual intercourse with a child contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
While being led in evidence by the state prosecutor, Mrs. Fehinti Ogbemudia, the victim’s mother said that the defendant was a school bus driver for Holbrook School, Gbagada, Lagos, her daughter’s former school.
She said: “Balogun was the bus driver for my daughter’s former school called Holbrook Schools located at Gbagada. My daughter is currently three years and 11 months old and she is currently in Nursery one.
“On July 5, 2018, my daughter woke up to ease herself about 12.30a.m. and while she was easing herself, she was crying and her terminology then was that ‘my bum-bum is paining me’.
“I tried to find out what the problem was and I took her to the bedroom and my husband and I asked her some questions. I asked her if anyone had hurt her bum-bum and she said yes.”
The witness further said that immediately, that morning, she went to the school with her daughter and informed the school administrators about the development.
“At the school they brought all the male staff and she (the baby) was asked to identify who had hurt her and she identified Mr. Afeez Balogun by running straight to him. That was the first time she identified him.
“And that morning, after leaving the school, I went to the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) with my daughter where an officer was assigned to our case.
“My daughter was asked for the second time at the OPD who had defiled her and she again identified the defendant.”
Justice Abiola Soladoye adjourned the case till November 20 for continuation of the cross-examination of the witness.
