Matilda Omonaiye/
The police in Lagos said yesterday they have arrested a man seen in a video kissing a three-year-old girl.
Lagos police spokesman, Bala Elkana, said the suspect was arrested through the concerted efforts of well-meaning Nigerians and detectives from its gender unit.
The suspect was declared wanted on Wednesday after a video went viral in which he was seen kissing the little girl inappropriately.
The video was circulated amidst a nationwide outcry against rape, following an incident in which a student, Vera Omozuma, was raped and killed in a church in Benin, Edo State.
Another student, Barakat Bellowho, was also raped and killed near her home in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Elkana said the suspect, Adeyeye Babatunde, a final year student of Botany Department, Lagos State University, is in custody and had been handed over to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for prosecution.
“Attention of Lagos State Police Command was drawn to a viral video showing one Adeyeye Oluwatosin Babatunde ‘m’ of Kajola Street, Shagamu, Ogun State, a Botany student of Lagos State University, kissing his three years old step sister (name withheld). The incident happened on 02/6/2020 in their residence at Shagamu.
“The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu psc tasked detectives from the Gender Unit to analyse the video and apprehend the suspect. The team got the suspect on 5/6/2020 at about 1100 hours. He is handed over to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba for diligent prosecution in Court,” Elkana said in the statement.
In a video shared by the police, the suspect said the incipient happened around 8pm at their residence, while their father and neighbours were present.
“I was sitting outside with my sister, we were playing outside in public. While my daddy was sitting beside me and my neighbours and we were playing.
“I did a video with the girl, me kissing her with no bad intentions. After I did the video, I uploaded on my WhatsApp status and a lady messaged me that I’m a rapist.
“I was like, this is not the first time of me posting this baby girl and you know her very well. She blocked me immediately, she recorded it and posted it on her WhatsApp status and social media,” the suspect narrated.
Babatunde said he subsequently did another video to explain what actually happened and to apologise to Nigerians.
“I am really sorry, I didn’t know it will be this bad, because of the relationship between me and my sister,” he said.
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