Jan. 24, 2023

A paediatrician, Dennis Shettima, on Tuesday, told an FCT High Court, Kubwa that a 12-year-old boy suffered from blood clots after defilement.

The National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP) charged the defendant, a 41-year-old man, Abubakar Danraka with defilement.

He pleaded not guilty.

The witness, a consultant with National Hospital Abuja made this known while being led in evidence by the Prosecution Counsel, Chidiebere Ugochukwu.

“The boy’s parents rushed him to the emergency children’s ward of the hospital on account that he was sexually abused by the defendant, who was their neighbour at Spring Valley Estate, Airport Road, Abuja on March 21, 2020.

“The mother of the minor said that the boy got home late on the said date and she was upset and flogged him.

“She said her son revealed to her that the defendant lured him into his house and gave him water to drink and then he slept off.

“She said the defendant defiled her son, ” he said.

“Upon examination, I discovered that the minor suffered rectal bleeding.

“So we suspected a sexual assault and collected blood samples to check for sexually transmitted infections and hepatitis,” Shettima said.

He said the child was placed on antibiotics and the social welfare, psychiatric unit and hospital management through our head of department were notified.

He added that the boy was placed on medication in case he had been exposed to infections and the paediatric surgical unit was invited to look further up in the anus.

“The surgical unit said that there was no further injury above the anus and days later, the results for the boy’s screening for infections came out negative.

“The child still continued his medication for three months in order not to risk anything and he was discharged after five days and was an outpatient for follow up, but discharged finally from paediatric clinic after repeat of STDs came out normal three months after, ” he said.

The defence counsel, Eddie Inegedu asked the witness if his examinations were linked to the defendant and if the history was narrated to him by the parents of the boy.

In response he said, apart from the history narrated to him by the child’s parents, there was nothing directly linked to the defendant in his findings.

Justice Asmau Akanbi-Yusuf however, adjourned the matter until Feb.22 for defence.(NAN)