The scared teenager decided to endure the pain she felt inside because according to her, she was scared and didn't know how to break the tell of the incident to her parents. She said not only is it about the r*pe, no! but it was for the fact that it was about someone they trusted, the words are just too heavy for me to pronounce.
As days gone by the pain became unbearable and she had to let someone know what shes passing through. After telling her best friend who refused to keep it a secret, the news reached her parents that shes been r*ped.
Shola 18 have always dreamt of studying mass communication but after her JAMB exam score came out as 211 her dreams were bent as the mark was not up to the cutoff for her dream course at UNILAG. As a result her father began to make moves to see if there is a way she could get admitted anyway.
According to Shola's father, “I started making enquiries at other institutions where the score could fulfill my daughters dreams, i met someone who told me that she had chances at Olabisi Onabanjo University with that score and promised to help me with the processing".
After i learnt that the post-UTME result is out, i went to see a my friend who was a lecturer at UNILAG and also lives just two blocks away from my apartment in the estate, to see if he could help in anyway with Shola's admission.
Shola’s father explained that when her admission into OOU was unsure he went to visit the lecturer on July 22, 2015 who told him that he had to see the young girl to know how to help her, then i told her that she would come the next day and i never suspected him.
“He told me they had to take off very early the following morning. I did not suspect anything unusual about that timing because I trusted him. By 4am, I roused my beautiful daughter. We prepared and I took her to Mr Baruwa’s house. I did not try to follow them because I trusted him. I did not imagine that anything awkward could happen,” he said.
Later that day around 11am my daughter came back very moody and walked straight into her room, meanwhile hours before, Baruwa had called me to tell me that he had met with the persons he taught could help but they're all coming up negative and he doesn't know what else too do and that there seems to be no way out, i believed him. Then my daughter came back i noticed her mood and i taught it was because of the bad news and i didn't want to bother her as i feel for the poor girl.
during the interview, Shola would occasionally press tight her lower abdomen due to the pain she still felt there. Though it was noticed that shes trying to stay composed as the interview went on. when she was asked how severe the pain is, she said it had greatly minimized since she started receiving treatment.
According to Shola "on that Thursday, July 23, 2015, i was with my father when we met Mr. Baruwa and had to follow him in his car to his office. She also explained that while in the car Mr Baruwa touched her carelessly though surprised but she didn't suspect a bad omen. "while in the car, he'd touched my hair and rubbed my face I was very surprised and I brushed off his hand. He never tried it again till we got to UNILAG,”
According to her, while they were on the way, Baruwa was showing her different parts of town, at first i taught it was because of his kind gestures that made him talk so friendly and funny little did i know that ...
She alleged, “on the way, he asked if I go out at all and I told him I don’t usually go out. And he would show me a place and say ‘This is Maryland, its beautiful. You may not know since you don’t go out.’ Then he took me to the Yaba College of Technology. He drove inside and showed me the place. We later proceeded to UNILAG.
We arrived his office at about 6:30am the building was deserted, he explained that in order to escape the traffic, he had to leave home earlier. He told me to sit on the couch in his office. I noticed he was restless. He would stand and go outside, sometimes He asked me if I wanted anything, I said no I was fine. He put on the television; I told him it was okay. He put on the air conditioner and I told him I did not want that.
I later observed that the electric kettle was on thus he was heating water and made Coffee afterwards. He offered it to me. but I told him I was okay and really did not need that. He then put the hot Coffee on the table. Later, out of respect, I took the cup and sipped a little. I started to feel drowsy not long after that. I did not know why.”
Shola’s said that, the lecturer later took her to see a female staff in next building who looked at her documents and said that the probability of her securing admission in UNILAG is very rare but wished to help.
After the other woman had made her point, Baruwa looked at shola and suggested that she could apply for a change of course if that was how eager she was desperate to get admission this year but shola said nothing.
Back in Mr. Baruwas office after seeing the lady, shola said she noticed Mr. Baruwa became averse, every now and then he would stand move about the office as if searching for something but will always go back to his sit empty handed and the next second he'll stand again then at last Mr. Baruwa went outside, came in and locked the door behind him at that point i became confused and didn't know what was happening to him a moment later he told me to pick up a paper on the floor beside the couch As i bent to pick the paper he pushed me into a corner of the couch and held me down as he forcibly striped me.
At her interview, Shola was asked what she did when Mr. Baruwa got her she said "i tried screaming but i didn't think that i was very audible because i was feeling very weak and dizzy which was actually very surprising to me and i think it has something to do with that coffee he gave to me, its really weird".
She continued "but am sure that if someone was close by the office that person must hear my faint screams." also the manner he held me was almost impossible for me to move a finger he constrained me so tight that i almost suffocated".
After about three minutes, he released me i immediately pulled up my trouser picked the office door key on the table and ran while he was still dressing up. He followed me as i walked down the stairs and said nothing while i cried all the way and he later turned back.
Anyway, Dr. Baruwa was interviewed a day before Shola though we were not surprised to see the contrast in their versions of the encounter as it is the case with every r*pe crime
Baruwa reported that he isn't denying the intimacy between Shola and him but claimed that the act was by permission after a converse. He went on to say that he regretted doing it immediately.
Dr Baruwa was interviewed at home out of ear shots of wife and children, where he denied and swore that he didn't force the girl and that everything was infact her ideas he said "She was a careless girl, who did not show any shyness".
He confessed "we actually went to Yaba College Of Technology that morning and i really showed her around but in the name of god i swear that i had no evil in mind that morning it was just my routine behavior to get to work very early to avoid the Lagos traffic.
At my office, she was saying a lot of dirty things i didn't expect from an 18 year old, she would sit on my lap and encouraged me to use her as long as she would get admitted into the institution. I had to do something that would take me out of the office that was why i took her to the other staff am would be early like me but the devils plans worked when our meeting with the woman lasted barely ten minutes which caused us to go back inside the office where she continued her seductiv* acts. I had to tell her to leave so that i can start work but i made a mistake by letting her hug me which stimulated the s*xual act that occurred between us.
Baruwa exclaimed that he was surprise to see the cryptic text message from Sholas father because he couldn't believe that he would know, then the most surprising part of the message was that he r*ped Shola.
Mr Baruwa was arrested yesterday and the case have been taken up to the supreme court Lagos and the thorough investigation is ongoing at the Aliba Police division, Omore Lagos.
Director of the Theresa's Child Rights Foundation, Esther Ogwu, a social worker handling the case, said when the case was first reported to her, the health of the girl was her immediate concern. She said, “I had to refer them to the Mirabel Sexual Assault Referral Center in Lagos so that she could get comprehensive treatment. This case is just another reason for girls and young women to be cautious of the issue of sexual assault.
Esther Ogwu after a briefing with Mr. Baruwa said that she suspects that this was not the first time the lecturer is molesting young girls especially his students judging from the way he talked. She adviced girls to be conscious of being behind closed doors and should always keep their self alert for any potential assault attack.
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