Sexual harassment: Victim withdraws case, Ogun police insist on investigation

Adesola Melojuekun, father of the 16-year-old girl who accused Ogun State Commissioner for Environment, Abiodun Abudu-Balogun, of sexual harassment has withdrawn the case against the commissioner.

The girl, Barakat Melojuekun, has also come out to say she is longer interested in pursuing the case and pleads that the matter be laid to rest.

But the Ogun State police command said it would go ahead with the investigation, adding that the accusers could no longer withdraw the case.

Barakat, in a viral video on Saturday, January 2, 2021, alleged the commissioner sexually harassed her in his house by touching her breasts, caressing her, while reciting incantations.

Following the allegation, the state government in a statement on Sunday, January 3, 2021 signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Tokunbo Talabi, suspended the commissioner, pending outcome of the police investigation.

But few hours after the suspension, the 16-year-old accuser came out in another video to say she wanted the matter to be laid to rest.

She also joined her father to say she had no longer have interest in the case.

Her father also said he had discovered that “there were some misconception and misunderstanding along the line between my daughter and the Commissioner.

He said, “Having discovered this, I deem it fit to inform the public and the international community that this matter should be laid to rest.

“As the father to Melojuekun Barakat, I want to appeal to the public, the international community and the media that I don’t have interest in this matter again.”

But the state police command insisted on going ahead with the investigation.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the command, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, had ordered that the case be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department at the Police headquarters in Eleweran, Abeokuta, the state capital.

The PPRO said despite that the victim’s family had officially withdrawn the case against the Commissioner, the command would go ahead with the case.

He said, “The father of the victim has no locus standi to tell the police that he’s no longer pressing charges against the commissioner because he is not our complainant.

“He is not the person that was directly involved in the case. The victim is his daughter and even the daughter herself cannot withdraw the case because she is underage.

“Secondly, the case is an offence committed against the state. So, they are no longer complainants; it is the Commissioner of Police versus the suspect (Abudu-Balogun).

“They are just witnesses in the case. So, the police are going on with investigations to confirm the authenticity of the claims.

“The CP has directed that the case should be transferred to the State CID for proper investigations, so their position is immaterial.

“We cannot conclude that the case will be charged to court until when we confirm that the offence was actually committed. If the offence was actually committed, we will not hesitate to charge it to court and see the case to a logical conclusion.”