Two persons have been apprehended and handed over to the police in Oyo Town for forcefully having carnal knowledge of a 15-year-old girl at the Film Village belonging to popular Nollywood actor, Ibrahim Chatta.
The senior secondary school, SS2 student (names withheld) had arrived the Film Village located in Oyo after a 40-year-old Ayoola Bankole, an Ondo indigene who lives in Oyo, had obtained the consent of her mother and grandmother to feature in a movie production at the location.
LEADERSHIP gathered via clips of audio and video recordings of the account of the victim on how Bankole had earlier at a different location in Oyo, gave her alcoholic drink and subsequently lured her into a strange “rehearsal” where she was hanged on the neck to the ceiling and the suspect removing stools from under her legs in what could pass for a suicide episode.
But on arrival at the Film Village, the victim said she was accommodated in the same hotel room with Bankole who later attempted to take sexual advantage of her at night but she declined his overtures.
The following day, she approached 35-year-old Supo Kosemani, a native of Ibadan who was also on the location to seek refuge and protection against the rape attempts by Bankole the night earlier.
Although Kosemani with whom she was seen all through the day had assured her of safety, but unknown to her about his intentions, the same man accosted the victim later to the room when he bolted the door behind and raped her on March 10, 2024.
An enquiry by a member of the crew who saw the victim crying resulted in reporting the case to their Head, who involved a medical personnel on site to examine her and confirmed that she had severe injuries to her private part and neck from both incidents.
Additionally, the victim was observed bleeding from the mouth, unable to swallow, and suffering from a bloody eye accompanied by pains from being physically and psychologically traumatized.
She was afterwards taken to the Oyo State General Hospital for further medical checkup and treatment where further examinations and necessary tests were carried out on her, and a medical report provided to the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case at Ojogbondu Police Station in Oyo.
The case has been transferred to the Oyo State Police Command headquarters at Iyaganku, Ibadan, the state’s capital, where the suspects are currently detained and are expected to be arraigned before a court on Monday, March 18, 2024.
Member representing Oyo East/West in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Rahaman Olorunpoto who stepped into the matter disclosed told our correspondent that the matter has been reported to the House Committee Chairman on Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Dr. Comfort Olajide.
Olorunpoto who also chairs the House Committee on Public Accounts, also pledged to bring the incident to the attention of the state’s First Lady, Engr. (Mrs.) Taminomini Makinde towards accessing supports in whatever form for the victim.
Similarly, Abosede Adeyi, the Team Lead of SafeHaven Initiative, a civil society organization told LEADERSHIP, that the CSO has taken immediate action upon learning of the incident.
“We are fully committed to ensuring justice for the victim and providing her with the necessary support and care. Our team is actively involved in overseeing the case, providing medical and psychological assistance to the victim, and offering support to her and her family throughout the legal process.
“Additionally, we have reached out to relevant authorities, including the Ministry of Women Affairs, and have submitted detailed documentation of the incident. We are actively following up with these authorities to ensure that the victim receives the appropriate assistance and that measures are put in place to prevent similar incidents in the future,” Adeyi said.
The affected girl also confirmed that Ibrahim Chatta was present on the day of the incident and he also spoke with her mother.
She narrated that the famous actor expressed his displeasure with what happened and pledged to collaborate with necessary stakeholders to implement safety measures towards preventing such occurrences in the future.
