My neighbour revived me with water after raping me six times –Raped 14-year-old......SEE PHOTO

Firstclass newsline learnt that a 14-year-old Jane (fake name)
stared at her feet as she recounted her four-year ordeal in the hands
of a neighbour, Felix Emmanuel, an Edo State indigene, who took
advantage of her innocence.
At 14, she explained that if she knew that the threats that had kept
her quiet from disclosing what she was going through were mere lies,
she would have told her mother about what was happening to her before
it went on for too long.
Fair-complexioned with sadness clearly showing in her eyes, there was
no doubt that Jane had suffered, in silence, as her single mother was
none the wiser about the regular sexual abuse her daughter was being
subjected to.
"He (Emmanuel) first raped me in 2011 when I was 10 years old. He
brought out a calabash with cowries in it and told me that if I told
anybody, I would die within 24 hours," she told firstclass newsline,
sobbing.
Her mother comforted her and urged her on.
Jane has lost her father but care for the family fell on her
struggling mother, Margaret, who also regretted that she did not
notice the abuse her daughter was subjected to over the last four
years.
Jane, a senior secondary year one student, lives in the same compound
with Emmanuel, a 28-year-old unemployed secondary school drop-out, in
Egbeda area of Lagos.
The girl told firstclass newsline, "The first time he raped me, my
mother sent me on errand. I was passing by his room on my way back
when he called me.
"I did not know what he wanted from me, but I answered him. But as
soon as I stepped in the door, he covered my mouth and dragged me to
an unoccupied room in the building.
"I noticed that there was another person inside the room – Jerome –
who I knew as a friend to Emmanuel.
"Jerome pinned me down and covered my mouth and Emmanuel raped me in
the room. When he was done, he gave me a handkerchief to clean up the
blood that was coming out from my body.
"He demanded for the handkerchief but I did not give it back to him
because I did not know what he wanted it for. When I was about to
leave the room, that was when he brought out the calabash, threatened
and warned me not to ever tell anybody what happened."
But unknown to Jane, that was just the beginning of a series of sexual
abuses in the hand of Emmanuel, an act that would later escalate to
the point where he started to invite his friends over to partake in
the orgy.
Over the next two years, Jane had changed a lot and she became erratic
in the house.
Margaret said, "When I noticed the way she changed, I asked if anybody
was molesting her, but she said no. I thought maybe she needed a
change of environment, so, I sent her to live with my sister in Ghana
in November 2013.
"But when she got to Ghana, she started to misbehave again. My sister
was curious and one day asked if she was still a virgin. She (Jane)
refused to answer. But she later took her for a test and confirmed
that she had been sexually active.
"When my sister asked her who defiled her, she told her it was our
neighbour but I could not confront him even though I saw him everyday.
I simply did not know what to do because I thought if I made it a
police issue, I might not be able to afford the cost that may come
with that."
Firstclass newsline learnt that Jane was later returned to Nigeria in
October 2014 but as soon as she got back, she caught the eyes of
Emmanuel and her cohorts again.
Jane said, "When I got back to Nigeria, I decided to stay clear of
Emmanuel, I was afraid and tried to avoid him. But one day, I was sent
on errand and he told me to help drop some tubers of yam for his
mother along the way, while I waited outside to collect the yam, he
dragged me into his room.
"That day, Emmanuel and three friends of his – Ayo, Felix, Mugambo –
took turns to rape me. Some days after that, he also took me to his
room, he raped me six times. When I fainted, he splashed water on me
to revive me. Sometimes, he used condom, sometimes, he did not. I just
want him to go to jail for what he did to me."
Jane said Emmanuel always referred to the calabash in his room anytime
she protested.
Jane's mother who said she did not understand that there may be a
connection with the sexual abuse her daughter had suffered and her
erratic behaviour, always beat the girl until the Esther Child Rights
Foundation was notified.
Executive Director of the foundation, Esther Ogwu, said she was
notified about the abuse of the child but only learnt of the series of
sexual abuses the girl had been subjected to over the years when she
interviewed her.
Ogwu said, "The girl has suffered so much. But the mother did not see
this, she only saw a girl that was misbehaving. It is absolutely wrong
to beat a child that has suffered sexual abuses because that is not
the solution.
"The first step we took was to take the girl to the hospital for test.
The doctors confirmed that the girl had been sexually assaulted on
multiple cases. The scary part was that she had contracted so much
infections that we had to ensure that was treated urgently.
"We later got the police involved and we are happy that action was
taken on the issue."
Emmanuel was arrested and transferred to the Department of Criminal
Investigation, Yaba Lagos.
He has since been arraigned at the Family Court 6, Ikeja, Lagos on
charges of defilement and sexual abuse. He was granted N200,000 bail.
Ogwu said Jane's mother has a share in the blame of what her daughter
went through.
"Any mother who is close to her daughter and is observant should be
able to tell if she is being abused over such a long period of time.
Many parents are simply not doing enough to secure their female
children against sexual predators," she said.
Firstclassnewsline.net