A 49-year-old visually impaired man has been paraded by the police for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl in Edo State.
The suspect, Anthony Okhoran from Ekpoma, in Esan West Local Government of the state was paraded along with Shuaibu Nurudeen and Edurance Okon who were accused of defiling two girls, age 12 and six years.
They were among over 100 suspects paraded on Monday by the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Olusegun Odumosu.
Speaking with journalists, Okhoran denied raping the nine-year-old girl, saying they only came up with the allegation so as not to pay the rent owed him.
“I did not defile anybody. The woman who reported me to police and her children are tenants in my house. They were brought to my house by a church that also pays their rent.
“Now, their rent has expired, they are supposed to pay the rent this month. They only cooked up the rape allegation so that I will not demand for my money.
“When it was time to pay the rent, the woman came to meet me that the church said they will no longer pay the rent for them. She then asked me whether I like her and I told her that she is not the one to ask whether I like her or not,” he said
He alleged that both the woman and her children have been trying to seduce him but he always decline the move.
“It got to a stage that the woman will barge into my room while I’m rubbing cream after taking bath to see my nakedness. She will only walk out after I shouted at her,” he said.
“I always sit in my parlour because of my predicament but her children will come and be rubbing my breast. When I reported the incident to their mother, she said they were only playing with me and I told her that I don’t like such play.
“The nine-year-old they accused me of raping also came to my bedroom and was touching my legs; I did not rape her,” he said.
On his part, Nurudeen, 29, also denied raping the minor, saying “I did not rape the 12-year-old girl. The girl was staying with us before she left for Benin. I was surprised when I was arrested almost one year after she had left. The girl was sick and when she was taken for treatment, they said she has infection and that it was the person who sleeps with her that gave her the infection. She then said that I was the one that slept with her which is not true.”
Also speaking Okon, who was accused of raping a six-year-old girl, said he only used his finger on her.
