A 67-year-old herbalist, Saadu Alabi, and one AbdulGaniyu Haruna, were on Tuesday arraigned before a Kwara State Magistrates’ Court over the alleged rape of three underage students of a community junior secondary school in Ilorin.
Alabi, an herbalist, and Haruna, a 38-year-old friend of the father of one of the girls, were alleged to have had carnal knowledge of the victims on several occasions.
The duo are facing charges of unlawful sexual intercourse, contrary to Section 31(2) of Child Right Law of Kwara State.
The police First Information Report said the suspects had sexual intercourse with the minors, all aged 12, under the disguise of helping them to make invisibility charm (afeeri).
According to the report, the matter was reported by a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA).
“On July 20, 2022, around 3pm, a legal practitioner of FIDA, Ilorin branch, received a call from the SUBEB Secretary, Ilorin, that there was a case of one elderly man having sexual intercourse with three schoolchildren all aged 12.
“The three minors confessed that the suspects had sexual intercourse with them on different occasions.
“One of the victims (name withheld) said further that one Abdulganiyu, a close friend to her father, had been having sexual intercourse with her in his room on several occasions and Saadu Alabi, 67, of 8, Arobi Compound, Okekere, promised to do invisibility charm (afeeri) for them,” the report added.
When the case was mentioned in court, the pleas of the two defendants were not taken.
The prosecutor, Abdullahi Sanni, sought their remand in prison.
The magistrate, Mr O. A. Idiagbon, ordered the remand of the defendants in the Federal Custodial Centre, Ilorin, till August 4, 2022.