A woman has cried out after her one year and 10 months old daughter was allegedly sexually abused at a crèche in Arepo, in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Beatrice Iyayi revealed that she noticed bruises around her daughter’s private part after she returned from school.
Iyayi said, “I picked my daughter from the crèche in the evening and when I was bathing her at night, she screamed as I washed her private parts. The next morning, while bathing her again, the same thing happened. I later noticed some bruises in her private parts, which were swollen.
“At the hospital, they examined her and told us that she was molested sexually after which we reported the matter to the police; we also went to the school owner, Mrs Olabisi, to report the case.”
The crèche’s proprietress, Olabisi is said to have sent emissaries, including a cleric, to plead with the victims mother to drop the case.
She was alleged to have also offered to pay the medical expenses incurred for the child’s treatment, which the family turned down.
The victim’s family was said to have also reported the case to a rights organisation, One Love for Peace and Unity Foundation.
The founder of the NGO, Racheal Omolara, lamented that the case, which was reported to the police in March 2021, was dragging, adding that no arrest had been made.
“We want justice for the child,” she added.
The crèche owner, Olabisi, said since the case had been reported to the police, she had nothing to say about it.
She said, “I will not say anything on this matter because they have reported the case in Abeokuta; so I have nothing to say until investigation is over.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ogun State, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, confirmed the incident, adding that the matter had been transferred to the child protection unit of the command for further investigations.
He said, “We got the report of the incident around March 2021 and after our investigation, the owner of the crèche said she did not have any male worker in her crèche. After we went through the details of the case, we transferred it to the child protection unit of the command for more details after which we will charge whoever is found guilty to court.”
