On Tuesday, Babatunde Ashifat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, provided a detailed account to the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court about how a man named Jelili Lawal brutally raped a septuagenarian until her demise.

The witness, who was questioned by the state counsel, Ms. Bukola Okeowo, revealed that he had taken charge of the case for investigation on January 2, 2019. Ashifat explained that the case had been reported to their station by a patrolling officer.

He went on to inform the court that the officers who reported the incident had been summoned by two women who claimed to have witnessed the defendant allegedly sexually assaulting the victim.

According to his testimony, on January 1, 2019, the elderly woman was in the company of the defendant in the Maryland area of Lagos. She had implored him to assist her in finding her way home. In response, the defendant gave her N500, and they both boarded the same bus.

Upon reaching a bus stop, the defendant directed her to disembark at Shoprite and then took her to an unfinished building in a secluded, wooded area. There, he subjected her to physical assault and sexual assault in the dead of night. The victim cried out for help, catching the attention of two women who apprehended the defendant in the act.

These compassionate women promptly contacted a patrolling officer, leading to the case being reported to their station. Ashifat continued by describing that the alleged victim, who had a hearing impairment and had been declared missing by her family, had sustained injuries as a result of the sexual assault.

He added that the alleged victim ultimately succumbed to her injuries, primarily due to severe bleeding resulting from the assault.

“The victim suffered bleeding in her anus and vagina, and I arranged for her to be taken to Mirabel Medical Centre, issuing a medical form for the examination. The medical doctor who examined her confirmed signs of forceful penetration in her vagina,” stated the witness. “Subsequently, I was informed of her tragic demise due to the extensive bleeding caused by the rape.”

Ashifat further recounted how he recorded statements from both the alleged victim and the defendant and visited the crime scene, which was an overgrown, abandoned location with no inhabitants.

Justice Rahman Oshodi adjourned the case until October 27, 2023, for the continuation of the trial.