A cleric identified simply as Kadiri has been arrested in Ede, Osun State, for allegedly having carnal knowledge of a minor.
The incident, which took place at Babasanya-Araka in Ede, sparked a protest as an angry mob attacked the suspect after he was apprehended.
The Osun Police Command spokesperson, Abiodun Ojelabi, on Saturday told PUNCH Online that operatives were deployed to the scene after the incident was reported.
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“The matter was reported, and we deployed operatives to the scene. When our men got to the scene, the Amotekun men who arrested him handed him over to us.
“So, he is in our custody already. But we want the Division to investigate before the matter is transferred to SCID.
“That is all that is available for now,” Ojelabi said.
Amotekun spokesperson, Idowu Yusuf, while providing further details about the incident, said, “The suspect is an Imam of a mosque.
“He also has an Arabic school in the area where he is teaching students Arabic. Further investigation is being done by the police.”
Speaking on how the suspect was arrested, a resident of Babasanya-Araka, who preferred to remain anonymous, said the victim was found bleeding, which led her mother to question her after she had been missing for a few hours.
“The victim, about 8 years old, was missing for some hours on Saturday, and her mother was already looking for her.
“When she was found, she was crying and bleeding.
“She was taken to the hospital in Ede, where she was checked,” the resident said.
