According to a report by The Nation, a carpenter on Shittu Bashiru Street, Isheri Oshun area of Lagos is currently on the run.

The man is on the run after he was accused of defiling an 11-year-old girl.

The suspect, simply named as Wasiu, reportedly molested the girl on Thursday, February 25, while he was fixing a kitchen cabinet at the minor parents’ house in the community.

The Nation reports that the girl was preparing to have lunch after returning from school that day when Wasiu allegedly went to her room and forcefully had sex with her.

Her father, Anayo Chijioke, said his wife contracted Wasiu to fit the cabinet, adding that they were not at home when the incident happened.

He said, “My wife asked him to put up a cabinet in our kitchen but he did not complete the work on time. That Thursday evening when my wife returned from work, my daughter told her how Wasiu molested her when she came back from school around 3pm that day. She said he had done the same thing to her on Monday. The man is married with children.

“When I returned from work that day, I went to the Isheri-Osun Police Station to report the case but police asked me to come the following morning. When we got to Wasiu’s house, he had run away.”

Chijioke said his daughter was taken to Mirabel Centre at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, for tests and was given some drugs.

“They told us the result of the test will be sent to the police,” he added.

The girl told Sunday PUNCH that Wasiu came into her room under false pretences that he was looking for a plank he wanted to use to make the cabinet.

She stated, “I wanted to eat when I came back from the school that day. He came to my room and said he was looking for plywood which he couldn’t find. He also checked the visitor’s room. He came back to my room and started touching my breasts. He quickly removed his trousers and pushed me to the bed.

“I asked him to stop but he did not listen. She ‘slept with’ me and warned me not to tell anyone. He did the same thing to me on Monday and asked me not to tell my parents.”

Repeated calls made to Wasiu’s line obtained by our correspondent indicated that it was not reachable.

The police spokesperson in the state, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi, said the command had launched a manhunt for the suspect.

He stated, “We got a report like that but the suspect is at large. He fled before the police got there (to his home). The victim has been taken for treatment and assessment. We still await the report of the examination. The Commissioner of Police has ordered that the fleeing suspect must be apprehended for proper investigation.”