A 35-year-old man, simply identified as “Yellow,” has blamed the devil and the cold weather caused by rainfall for raping a 5-year-old girl inside a room.
The suspect committed the atrocity in the Ibere part of Abia State
Yellow, who was brutally beaten by an angry mob, confessed to having sexual contact with the innocent child, stating that he lured the girl with groundnuts.
He begged the angry villagers for forgiveness, narrating that he was sitting with some friends, eating groundnuts, when he later entered the building to retrieve something.
He alleged that upon entering the building, he saw the girl and offered her some groundnut seeds, after which she followed him inside, where he assaulted her.
The suspect further claimed that he attempted to be gentle with the child during this despicable act.
However, a source from Ibere reported that the assaulted child had been rushed to the hospital by her family for immediate medical attention.
The source also mentioned that the 35-year-old rapist was handed over to local security personnel for subsequent transfer to the police, who would conduct a thorough investigation.
As of the time of this report, the state’s police command had not confirmed awareness of the incident, as the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chinaka, did not respond to messages sent regarding the matter.
The incident occurred barely four months after a 37-year-old man, Chiemela Ekeke, was sentenced to life in prison in Umuahia for raping a 4-year-old girl.
Meanwhile, a Bayelsa High Court sitting in Yenagoa has sentenced a 20-year-old cultist, Owei Mathew, to 29 years in prison over attempted robbery, cause of grievous harm and unlawful possession of firearm.
The accused, who hails from Amasomma in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, was arrested in September 2021.
Matthew was reported to have jumped into the home of one Festus Ezegwe at the back of Obele by Melford Okilo road and stole a Samsung Android Phone and the sum of N55,000.
The owner of the house, Festus Ezegwe, and his wife, struggled with the accused while he was trying to escape and called for his arrest by men of the Police Anti-kidnapping Squad led by CSP Nsimo Benson.
The accused was arrested in possession of a firearm.
He was charged to court and remanded in prison custody while the prosecution lasted and judgement given in 2023 when he is now 20 years old. The 29 years prison sentence is to run concurrently.
It was gathered that after a diligent investigation and prosecution by the legal team of the State Police Command, Mathew was arraigned before Justice Abasi on a four count charge of attempted robbery, grievous harm, cultism and unlawful possession of firearm.