Disturbing Testimony in Court Reveals Tragic Ordeal of 19-Year-Old Girl
A police officer with the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has shared a chilling account of the mistreatment of a 19-year-old girl by a housewife, Omolara Alashe, and her husband, Ramoni Lateef.
The couple, accused of conspiracy, rape, and sexual assault, allegedly coerced the teenager into having a relationship with Lateef to enable Alashe to become pregnant and avoid her husband marrying another woman.
In a disturbing statement, Investigating Police Officer, Inspector Elizabeth Osikolu, testified that the abuse began in 2022, after the victim lost her mother and was taken in by the couple at their Ojota, Lagos residence.
What initially seemed like an attempt to provide a shelter eventually turned sinister, with Alashe pressuring the teenager into having a relationship with her husband, according to Inspector Osikolu.
The victim also reported suffering physical abuse, being beaten by the couple whenever she made mistakes or failed to meet their expectations.
In a particularly disturbing account, Inspector Osikolu described how the victim was woken in the middle of the night, stripped, and allowed to be assaulted by Lateef at the behest of Alashe.
The witness alleged that Alashe, desperate to have a child after losing her own in 2022, had planned to use the 19-year-old to bear children for Lateef to avoid him marrying another woman.
The testimony revealed the severity of the alleged abuse, saying: “The first defendant had not been able to conceive again after the death of the child.”
“So they decided to use the survivor to bear children for him to prevent the husband from getting married again.
“The girl said they were in the sitting room one day when the first defendant started beating her, stripped her naked and inserted her fingers in her vagina,” Inspector Osikolu shared.
During cross-examination, the defence counsel questioned the reliability of the victim’s account, but Inspector Osikolu maintained that Alashe had admitted to certain actions in her statement.
The officer noted that if the victim had been a willing participant, she would not have sought help from the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) or undergone a medical examination at the Mirabel Centre.
The case has been adjourned until February 3, 2025, for further hearings.
