It is a common phenomenon in this part of the world for persons accused of dastardly acts such as rape to blame supernatural beings, especially the devil. The case of 34-year-old Lekan Daramola accused of raping a 12-year-old girl (his landlord’s daughter) was not different in this regard.
However, the young man took his further; he severed his own manhood for reasons that could not be immediately ascertained.
Daramola, a resident of Oke-Aro area of Ogun State, was said to be a serial rapist. Neighbours said he was once beaten to within an inch of his life last year for allegedly raping a street hawker.
A neighbour who refused to give her name said: “He was caught again on three different occasions and the last time, he lured Baba’s young daughter into his room and while forcefully having carnal knowledge of the girl, her screams attracted neighbours who broke the door of his room and caught him.
“He was given the beating of his life and paraded in the town. In the night, we heard screams in his room and when we rushed there, we found him in a pool of his blood with a knife beside him.”
It was further revealed that on the way to the hospital the young man admitted that he cut off his manhood to prevent the recurrence of the act as he felt an evil spirit had taken hold of him.