A 51-year-old herbalist, Francis Aju, on Thursday told journalists that he had to accept rape allegation levelled against him due to severe torture by police operatives.
The suspect was among the suspected criminals arrested by the police for various offences and paraded by the Edo state Commissioner of Police, John Babatude Kokumo.
Kokumo said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigation is completed.
It was gathered that the suspect raped a 15-year old girl who was brought to her for healing by her father simply identified as Kenneth.
The incident was said to have happened at Uromi, in Esan North West Local Government of Edo state.
But the suspect, in an interview with journalists, denied the allegation saying he owned up to the allegation due to severe police torture.
“I am an herbalist, her father Kenneth came to my house that his daughter is not well again and that I should help her the way I used to help her before. So I ask him to bring her for treatment.
“The next day he came with the girl and I applied medicine on her body and gave her the one to drink and they left for home. After one week, they came back again and I also carry out the same treatment. We then agreed on N80,000 fee, he paid N50,000 and left. Another time, we met he gave me N15,000 and promised to pay the balance later,” he narrated.
He said the man came again with her daughter on the day he was to have a feast with his family with wine.
“We both take it in presence of my family and after that, I gave him the medicine which he applied on her head and another one to drink and left.
“But the next day, he came back saying that I raped her daughter the previous day while applying the medicine on her. Then I said but you were present when I applied it on her or is it because you don’t want to pay the balance of the money. We argued and he left.
“After three days, he brought police to arrest me and when we got to the station, he said I raped the daughter whom he brought to me for healing saying it was my children and wife that pulled me out from her when she was shouting. I told them it was all lie before I was transferred to the state headquarters,” he added.
He further explained: “I told them that I did rape her. How can I rape her when her father was there with us while applying the medicine on her? I bath her the first day in the presence of her father but the police started beating me saying I should own up to the allegation.
“My pair of trousers got torn at the station after too much beating by the police. They were beating me saying I should accept that I raped the girl. The beating was too much and when I can’t bear it, I said I do it so that they can leave me. They use stick and back of cutlass on me. I can’t even hear well again because of the beating,” he said
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