The news of the alleged violation of a Junior Secondary School 3(JSS3) student in Ibadan, Oyo State is spreading like wild fire. It’s especially so, since the allegation was against a 43-year- old Imam precipitate teacher, Isiaka Salimonu, who teaches Arabic at Educational Legacy College, Ibadan.

Salimonu allegedly violated Yetunde, 15, in Ikumapayi, Olodo area of the city. He was said to have played a fast one on the student, when he promised to give her “holy oil” for prayers which ostensibly would improve her academic performance . The unsuspecting student followed him to his friend’s house as he requested, and when they got there , he allegedly stripped her Unclad without her consent, and violated her. The suspect was alleged to have given the victim N2,000 and the oil after the incident which she rejected.

Yetunde later reported the incident to her elder brother. Shocked members of her family reported the incident at Iyana Ofa Police Station. The suspect, who is being quizzed at the State Criminal Investigation Department(SCID) Iyaganku Ibadan, was said to have owned up to the alleged crime.

The victim told Crimewatch that the suspect was an Imam, who usually conducted Jumat prayers for them every Friday. “On December 15, 2011, when I collected my report card, he was in the mosque, and he called me and asked for my report card and I gave him. He said my performance was poor and that he was going to help me, by giving me some charms which would help me perform better academically. He asked me to wait for him at Ikumapayi Junction bus -stop but I refused to go there,” she said .

The teacher did not give up. When school resumed on January 5, 2012 and he sent somebody to call her.
She continued: “He asked me why I didn’t go to the place he told me last time to wait for him or at the mosque, to collect the charm he promised me. He told me to wait for him at a bus-stop at about 4.00p.m. and I waited as directed. He came and told me the charm was in his friend’s house. I followed him and when we got to the house, we didn’t see his friend . He knocked on the door but nobody responded.”

“ Later, he told me to follow him to collect the charm , and he took me to a small hut and asked me to remove my clothes. I refused , but he forcibly stripped me Unclad and thereafter, violated me. I started shouting for help , that was about 5.00p.m. I was angry and left . He gave me N2,000 but I rejected it . I also rejected the “holy oil” . When I got home, I reported the matter to my elder brother and it was later reported at the Olodo police station,” she said.

It was gathered that the suspect’s daughter is Yetunde’s classmate. The suspect , who spoke to the reporter admitted knowing the victim. He said “In December 2011, I saw Yetunde’s report card and I discovered that she didn’t perform well. I promised to assist her, by giving her “prayer oil” when they resumed on January 5, 2012. I told her to wait for me at Ikumapayi bus-stop and from there, I picked her and took her to my friend’s house to give her the charm.”

“I took her to my friend’s house but he was not at home. I took her to a small house in the compound. There, I stripped her Unclad and had fun with her. I gave her N2,000 and the “prayer oil” and she rejected them,” he said.
The suspect, who hails from Egbeda Local Government Area of the state, said he had been wooing the girl since September last year. “I always noticed her whenever I was conducting Jumat for them every Friday. I was arrested by men of the Olodo Police Station. I have confessed to the police that I violated her . It was the devil that pushed me into this, ” he said.

The Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Okanlawon, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) described it as an ugly incident, confirming that the suspect had been arrested, while he confessed to have violated the girl. The father of the victim, Mr. Adegbola Ramoni said he was shocked that the Imam could violation his daughter . “It all happened outside the school premises. I took my daughter to Adeoye General Hospital for treatment. The hospital confirmed that she was actually violated. The suspect also confirmed that he violated her,” the angry father told Crimewatch.

Meanwhile, Adegbola has appealed to the government to bring the suspect to book, but ironically, he doesn’t want the matter to go to court. The Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID, Mrs. Funmilayo Egbemi, said investigation was still going on in the matter. She advised parents to be careful the way they train their children and to always monitor their movement adding that the suspect would appear in court soon.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/crimewatch/2012/mar/04/crimewatch-04-03-2012-001.html