TRACKING______A mother (name withheld) on Tuesday told an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court that her three daughters, aged 12, nine and seven were allegedly defiled by a cleric.
The victim’s mother made the revelation while testifying as the second prosecution witness in the trial of Ibrahim Idris, a 26-year-old cleric charged with defilement.
The mother of six, who is also married to a cleric while being led in evidence by the state counsel, Gbenga Alagbe, told the court that she got to know about the alleged defilement from a teacher in the school her daughters attend.
“In 2017, I received a call from the teacher of the school my children go to for lessons. The teacher told me that one of my daughters told her something and that she wanted me to hear for myself what she said.
“When we got to the office at the school, my oldest daughter (daughter A) said that Idris slept with her and her younger sisters. I was told by the teacher that earlier while being interrogated about the allegations, she ran out of the class.
“A mother had seen her and had taken her back into the school and when she saw a male teacher she was scared because Idris was sleeping with her and anytime she sees a male teacher, she becomes withdrawn and scared,” the mother said.
The mother said following the revelation, she took her children home from the school and her husband who was not around during that period, arrived two days later on August 11, 2017.
She noted that when her husband arrived, the defendant was summoned to their residence, narrating further that “we asked him about the allegations and he insisted nothing happened.
“We took him to the police station for questioning and we were referred to the Mirabel Centre at Ikeja for medical examinations. I had asked daughter B (nine-year-old) about the allegations and she said it was true; I had asked daughter A (12-year-old) about the allegations, but she was afraid to tell me what happened.
“However, when we got to the police station, daughter A told me what had happened.”
While being cross-examined by the defence counsel, Lekan Ijelu, the mother said the defendant has been living with her family when he allegedly committed the crimes.
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Following her evidence, the state prosecutor appealed to the presiding judge to address the mother in order to ensure that the mother brings her three daughters to court to testify against Ibrahim.
“My lord, the witness said that she did not want to bring her daughters to testify, because she feels it may be traumatic for them,” Alagbe said.
Responding, Justice Sybil Nwaka told the mother that preventing her children from coming to court will amount to the offence of obstruction of justice and adjourned the case until March 4 for continuation of trial.
