• I’ve lost my dignity as a woman, I deserve justice –Victim

BY CHIOMA IGBOKWE

PRESSED by Governor Akin­wunmi Ambode, the Lagos State Police Command is set to arraign Dr Oluyemi Olusola, founder and Medical Director of Sayemi Naturescience Center, Lagos, a fertility clinic, in court. The doctor was al­leged to have raped a Lagos house­wife, Mrs Toyin Bello.

Saturday Sun, had in its two pre­vious editions reported the allega­tion of rape made against the suspect by Mrs. Bello. She had on Saturday, April 9 gone to the Ikeja, Lagos clinic of Dr Olusola who claims he is a fertility medical expert, to seek for solution to her 24-year old bar­renness. Rather than come out of the clinic with a solution to her problem, she left with a broken heart after she alleged that her doctor penetrated her with his penis while pretending to be carrying out a fertility test on her.

Shortly after the first publica­tion, the story drew the attention of the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode who ordered a thorough investigation into the matter. Am­bode who would not buy into the police excuse that there is no suffi­cient evidence to prosecute the sus­pect, has already directed the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Min­istry of Justice to wade into the mat­ter and ensure that justice is served if the doctor is found culpable.

According to the Director, OPD, Mrs. Omotola Rotimi, the department will ensure that the case is not abandoned along the way. “Rest as­sured that we will ensure that proper investigation is carried out and the guilty will be made to face the wrath of the law.”

On how far they have gone with the governor’s directive, a reliable source at the OPD said that several meetings had been held with the victim and representatives of the governor. “The matter got so much attention and high profile meetings were held with the Chief Security Officer of the state. The state police command was given a matter of days to arraign the suspect before a competent court. We will provide a good lawyer that will represent the woman on behalf of the state. I guess justice will be served”, the source added.

Meanwhile the state police com­mand spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmus, when contacted on phone assured that the police is still in­vestigating and if any evidence is found, the suspect will be arraigned in court.

Reacting to the assurances that she would get justice, the victim thanked the state government for listening to her cry. “Lagos state government has since intervened in the matter and I believe that justice will be served. I also thank God for blessing me with a wonderful hus­band who is standing by my side. May God bless and increase him. I’m confident that having lost my dignity as a woman, I will now get justice.”

Beside Governor Ambode who is already showing interest in the case, some Non-Governmental Or­ganisations, NGOs have also shown interest in seeking justice for the victim even as the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA and the Trado Medicine Practitioners have de­scribed the suspect as a fake and an impostor. Under pressure Dr Oluso­la has equally admitted that he is not a qualified medical practitioner but a trado medicine practitioner. In an interview with Saturday Sun, Olu­sola claimed his medical equipment called ‘probe’ penetrated the woman and not his penis.

The victim, Mrs Bello had in her statement at the police station al­leged that the doctor used on her, a medical instrument which is usually inserted into the vagina and moved around slightly while ultrasound im­ages are shown on a screen. Accord­ing to her, she was convinced that the method would allow the doctor have a good view of her womb in order to ascertain if anything was wrong.

The instrument which has the shape of a penis, she alleged, was inserted into her vagina but she nev­er knew when the doctor withdrew the instrument and inserted his own penis inside her until he was about to ejaculate.

Determined to prove his inno­cence, Dr Olusola visited The Sun Publishing Ltd head office and told his own side of the story. He said he could not understand why Mrs. Bello suddenly accused him of rape. He claimed that Mrs. Bello on real­izing her mistake had on Tuesday last week retracted her allegation at the police station.

When confronted with Dr Olu­sola’s defence, Mrs. Bello said that it was God’s way of exposing the doctor that the publication came out. “The police said that I have no case because there was no struggling or damaging of things. There is no concrete evidence to pursue the matter. It is God that is fighting for me, that is why the story came out.”