By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Mr. Nwankwo Nweke, aged 75 years, has been arrested for allegedly an 8-year-old girl in Anambra State.
The incident happened in Awka, the capital city of the state where the suspect, a native of Isiagu in Awka South Local Government Area, was also arrested by security agents after committing the crime.
According to the parents of the child, Mr. and Mrs. Ugwuanyi, the little girl was sent on an errand by them in a nearby shop at about 7.pm, only for her to disappear, which made the mother to go out to search for her after having tarried beyond the expected time for her to return.
It was gathered that the mum also kept shouting her daughter’s name round the village after she had gone to the shop where she was sent on the errand and found out she wasn’t there, without knowing that she was cornered and taken into the room by Mr. Nweke, who also forcefully covered her mouth to prevent her from shouting or answering her mother when she was calling her; while he ‘digged deep’ on her to ‘calm his nerves’.
It was after Nweke had dug to his satisfaction and calmed his nerves that he freed the little girl to go, amidst pains.
Although, the victim first told her parents lies about her whereabouts when she returned home, a slight torture made her reveal the real truth about her whereabouts and what happened to her.
According to her, while on her way to the errands, the suspect, who use to be their neighbour, met and lured her into his house to come and carry some mangos, which she initially declined to, based on the reason that she was on an errand; only for her to later change her mind and go, after much luring persuasions by the suspect.
She said it was when she got there that he pushed her into the room, locked the door, blocked her mouth to prevent people from hearing her, and then forced himself on her; only to push him out of his house after everything, even without giving her the mangos again.
When arrested and interrogated, the suspect, Mr. Nweke, who is a barber, confessed to the crime and said it was temptation and the handiwork of the devil.
The little girl was also taken to the hospital, where it was also confirmed that the suspect truly had carnal knowledge of her.
Reacting to the incident, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Hon. Ify Obinabo, who expressed her anger over the sad incident, frowned that some bad eggs still go on to flout the law, despite all the efforts being made by the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo to stop and make such things intolerable in the State.
While noting that her Ministry would not relent in fighting such crimes and protecting the rights of masses; Commissioner Obinabo also assured of securing justice for the 8-year-old girl, even as she reiterated that anyone caught in such act in the state must faith the full weight of the law.
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