Alfa, Caught On Camera Raping A 5-Year-Old Girl In Lagos

One Saludeen, 43, said to be an Alfa is presently facing a case of child defilement at the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court.

According to the prosecution witness, Ebenezer Omejalile, a social worker and child protection consultant, he had caught the defendant in the act with a hidden camera.

He was led in evidence by Mr Akin George, the lead state prosecutor.

The accused, Abdulsalam Salaudeen, is facing a charge of child defilement contrary to Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.

Omejalile, while testifying, told the court that he hid a camera in the Lagos mosque, which was used in capturing the cleric as he performed the evil act.

Omajalile noted that he made the move after a community-mandated reporter drew his attention to what was happening in the community.

“She said that Alfa Abdulsalam had been abusing children who attend his Islamic school in the community,” the witness said.

He noted that after she told him, he started to strategize how to get the truth.

“We (Omejalile and his team members) also found out that he was not just a cleric, he was regarded as a demi-god in the community.

“We got a laser camera and we planted the laser camera within the vicinity of the mosque,” he said.

Omajalile said the camera captured Salaudeen in the act while defiling one of the pupils who is only five years old.

He said he transferred the recording to a phone and took it to the Child Protection Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development.

He alleged that the staff of the unit were reluctant in handling the matter, so he went to the police.

“When I got there, they were not ready to attend to the issue; they told me in Yoruba that they did not want to see something unusual.

“I proceeded immediately to the office of the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), I gave him a copy of the footage which was sent to the then Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Mr Edgal Imohimi.

“Initially, the CP found it difficult to believe the video because of its graphic nature and kept asking if I was sure of its authenticity. It took a week for him to act on it.

“Meanwhile, the mandated reporter kept calling me, saying that children were still being sexually abused by the cleric.

“I called the PPRO to immediately act on it or the press would be contacted, and on Dec. 28, 2018, a team was set up to arrest the Alfa,” he testified.

According to him, the team were made up of police officers from the State Investigation Bureau (SIB) and the Gender Unit and himself.

He noted that when they arrived at Igando, the defendant was not present and community members were resisting the arrest of the cleric.

He further stated that when Saludeen arrived, he pretended like he knew nothing about what he about the mission of the police.

Omajalile said after he was arrested, he kept denying the accusations until he was shown the video.

He said the on seeing the video, the cleric burst into tears “When the video was shown to him, he burst into tears and accepted that he committed the crime. He said

Omajalile said “We went to the home of the survivor in the video and met her mum who was plaiting her hair, and the survivor was identified,” 

Omejalile said that the team wanted to leave the community with 10 pupils of the Islamic cleric but youths who gathered around became hostile.

“I pulled one of the youths aside and I showed him the video and he immediately calmed the other youths down.

“The 10 other children from his Islamic school were taken to the Juvenile Welfare Centre located at Alakara.

“We had called their parents to identify them after they were picked up from the mosque.

“At a point, the Child Protection Unit of the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development took over the children,” the social worker said.

The case was however adjourned because there was no electricity to play the graphic video in the courtroom.

Justice Abiola Soladoye adjourned the case until Feb. 10 for the continuation of trial.