A non-governmental organisation has accused the Nigeria Police Force [NPF] of releasing a man who allegedly raped a 5-year-old girl without trial.

The accused, Sunkanmi Akinsero, 23, allegedly raped the daughter of his mother’s tenant through her anus at No. 47 Erede Street, Ekerube in Abaranje area of Ikotun, Lagos.

The NGO, Ruthsville Foundation, took to Twitter to accuse the police at Zone Two of conspiring with the suspect’s family and the police in Ikotun, to pervert justice by releasing the suspect without referring the case to court.

It was gathered that the suspect initially fled after committing the crime last August, but resurfaced last week and was arrested.

The NGO also alleged that the family of the victim have gone into hiding over the intense threat from the family of the accused.

The NGO wrote;

“5 year old girl defiled by landlady’s son. Father of victim threatened and family now in hiding. Pedophile set FREE! We scream #JUSTICE4HANNAH.

“First, from my little knowledge, a case of rape/defilement can only be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction. I also learnt that the family of the survivor has been under intense threat, so have gone into hiding. They must have been saddened more when those who should provide them with protection are now turning against them.

“The parties involved (accused and defendant) should be allowed to have their day in court. It cannot be mediated upon by Police or any other. Therefore, the case should be charged to court and only the court can summon a doctor to give an expert advice on a case he/she has handled.

“Reading in between the line it is very clear that all that have been done on this case right from Ikotun to Zone 2 were simply efforts to mess up the case, probably kill it before court and thereby rubbish the judiciary and pervert justice.

“This obviously can bring shame to the survivor and her family, kill public hope for justice, embolden abusers to keep abusing, encourage intended abusers and eventually lead to anarchy,” the NGO said.

The girl’s mother, Victoria Babatunde, 25, while narrating her ordeal said on the day her child was raped, the landlady (the suspect’s mother) had asked her to leave her daughter with her.

She said:

“I left home early that day. I left around 7am. It was my landlady that asked that I leave my daughter with her. When I came back home around 8pm, my daughter did not say anything. It was when I wanted to bath her the following morning that she complained that her private part was paining her.

“Then, I took her inside without completing the bath and checked her private part. It had wounds and was somehow. I asked her what happened? She asked if I was going to beat her and I said no.

“She said it was brother Sunkanmi that pulled out her trousers and touched her private part and also removed something from his trousers and inserted it inside her private part.

“I was shocked as I had not seen something like that before. I created awareness outside, as I went to the woman’s shop to explain to her. Mama (landlady) said they should go and swear for me, people called her a witch, that was my daughter too small that she does not know what happened to her?

“I called my husband, he said I should go to the police station, which I did with my child. Before I returned to the house with the officers, the mother had already told the son to flee. They took the mother, she said she did not see her son and she was given time to produce him, but she did not do so.

“So, last week, my husband was called that they have seen the suspect and he has been caught. We went to the station and they told us to write a statement, which we did. Instead of charging the boy to court, they told us that Zone Two called for transfer of the case.”