25-yr-old arrested for raping 3-yr-old in Minna

A 25- year old man, Saliu Lawal has been arrested and detained at the Niger State Criminals Investigation Department (SCID) Minna, the state capital, for forcefully having carnal knowledge of a 3-year old girl at Angwan Daji area of Chanchaga Local Government of the state.

The suspect, a next door neighbour to the yet unidentified parents of the victim,  lured the little girl into the premises of a primary school, in the neighbourhood and raped her.

The Nigerian Tribune gathered that shouts from the little girl attracted passersby who caught Saliu in the act. He, however, attempted to evade police arrest.

It was learnt further that the concerned neighbours gave the suspect a hot chase, apprehended him and handed him to the police for prosecution at Chanchaga Divisional Police Headquarters, under the state police command.

An insider source who spoke to the Nigerian Tribune on the condition of anonymity, stated that upon interrogation by the police at the homicide section of the State’s Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Minna, said upon interrogation by the police the suspect, Lawal, allegedly confessed to the crime but claimed he was doing it for the first time with the little girl.

“I know the parents of the girl, they are my next door neighbour and I decided to lure her into a classroom. She, however, began to cry because her private part was very tight.”

The suspect who is said to be a bricklayer allegedly stated further that the attempted rape on the little girl was the first time he committed the crime and also denied ever taking advantage of any other little girl in the neighbourhood in the recent past.

Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Police Command, Mr Richard A. Oguche, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) confirmed the incident in an interview with the Nigerian Tribune.

“Rape is a capital offence and investigation into this case is almost completed, we are just waiting for the Medical report conducted on the victim, while the suspect would soon be charged to court and his admission to the commission of that offence is not substantial enough,” he stated.

He added that the Homicide Detectives were still gathering more evidences that could assist the police in the prosecution of the suspect whom he described as a serial rapist, going by the information allegedly given to the police by some concerned citizens resident at Angwan Daji, on the  outskirt of Minna, the state capital.

TRIBUNE

Three-year-old girl raped in Niger

Niger State Police Command has arrested a man, Saliu Lawal, 25, for allegedly raping a three-year old girl.

The incident was said to have occurred on Friday August 23, 2013. It was learnt that the suspect, who was a next door neighbour to the parents of the victim, lured the girl into the premises of a primary school and raped her.

Sources told our correspondent that the little girl’s cries attracted passersby, who caught Saliu in the act.

It was further learnt that as soon as the suspect sighted them, he attempted to flee but was apprehended by the concerned neighbours and handed over to the police at Chanchaga Division.

The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Richard Oguche, said,  “Rape is a capital offence and investigation into this case is almost completed.

“We are waiting for the report of a medical test conducted on the victim before we charge the suspect to court.”

Meanwhile, the police in Ogun State have arrested a 37-year-old man, Sanmi Oyewole, for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl.

Oyewole, a resident of Ayedi Street, Isale Ake Abeokuta in Abeokuta South Local Government Area, was apprehended on Saturday.

The state command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said in a statement that the suspect, who had already confessed to committing the crime, said he lured the girl with a N50.

Adejobi stated that Oyewole seized the advantage of the girl’s mother’s absence to lure the minor into his room and had carnal knowledge of her.

The police spokesman said, “The medical report on the girl confirmed that the girl was defiled by the suspect and the suspect has been taken to the state CID Eleweran, Abeokuta ,for further investigation and prosecution.

“A bedsheet stained with blood and a pant were recovered from the room of the suspect, who fled the house immediately after the incident, but was later arrested by police detectives attached to Adatan Division in Abeokuta.”

PUNCH

Why Rape Penalties Are Rarely Enforced

The worrisome incident of the rape of girls below the age of 14 is becoming rampant in Nigeria. Blessing Ukemena reports on why those that commit this crime do not face the full weight of the law.

Rape is punishable by life imprisonment, or so the law says. According to section 282 and 283 of the Penal code, any person charged with rape or attempted rape, with sufficient proof from the victim, will be given life imprisonment and a fine.

The thought of spending the rest of your life in prison should be enough to keep any sane person from committing the crime, but in fact there is a gradual increase in the reported cases of rape all over the country. The situation calls for concern as young girls under the age of 14 are the likely victims to this kind of brutality that damages both the body and the mind.

The Penal code clearly states that the act of having sexual intercourse with a girl below the age of 14, with or without her consent, is considered rape. One of such cases was that of a 10 year old school girl from Nyanya, Gwandara who was allegedly raped on 31, July 2012 in an uncompleted building.

The judge of the lower magistrate court in Maraba, Nassarawa state, Mrs. V. Ishiaku, told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that it was hard for those accused of rape, be it against minors or adult females, to get a full sentence because many times there is  no proof, and a court cannot convict without proof.

“Rape cases are under the jurisdiction of the Upper Area Court and the High court, but those who find the courage to report cases of rape do not bring sufficient proof to the court. The court cannot convict a person by mere words.

“Immediately after the incident, the victim is supposed to go the hospital and do certain tests and bring the result of the tests to the law court to prove her case, but most ladies are so traumatised that it takes some time before they get the courage to report the case, and some of them do not go for tests.”

In the Arab world, rape is punishable by death. According to a report by the UN High Commission for Refugees, marital rape in Jordan is legal, but the punishment for non-marital rape is the death penalty. This includes the rape and sodomy of a child under 15.

The International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW) observed that in the case of rape, cultural and social traditions coupled with inadequate laws inform discriminatory legal practices, and the effect of violence against a kidnapped or raped woman is exacerbated by the practice of dropping the prosecution if the perpetrator agrees to marry his victim.

The right to prosecute is re-established if he divorces her before the passage of three years of marriage without legitimate grounds, in accordance with Article 308 of the Jordanian Penal Code. The perpetrators usually agree to marry the victim to evade punishment, without the goal of building a family.

Mrs Hadiza Haruna, a project director at Women Advancement Protection told LEADERSHIP SUNDAY that the NGO was concerned with various abuses against women, and recently sent a bill to the national assembly which, when passed, will ensure the protection of the rights of women and children in the country. She hoped that the bill will be passed soon so that those perpetrating abusive acts against women and children, such as wife battery, rape and mental or physical abuse will be forced to face the music as the penalties for such acts will be enforced.

In June 2012, Nollywood celebrities staged a Walk Against Rape (WAR) in Lagos organized by  Esther Ijewere Kalejaiye. She said that its aim was to “ help in encouraging victims to speak out and reduce the stigma attached to victims of sexual abuse and rape. WAR is also a platform for informing society about the soaring scourge of sexual abuse, especially as it relates to young girls and women in general.”

This kind of action is needed more often in Nigeria because, as Mrs Ishiaku stated, it seems that women are unaware of what to do to ensure that rapists are prosecuted.

Another problem for African and Nigerian women is that society frowns at rape victims instead of the rapists themselves. The girl who is known to have been raped is gossiped about and blamed in one way or the other for having allowed herself to be raped, this is mainly why most women would rather suffer in silence than speak out. Mothers of girls that have been raped also rarely take the matter to the police, reason being that they want to spare the girl the psychological trauma.

But rape victims suffer not just psychologically, but many also get pregnant, drop out of school or get infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

According to Mr K. Okoro, a Barrister and a human rights campaigner in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), there are very few reported cases of rape involving girls under 14 that he is aware of, and this could be due to the fact that the mother may silence her daughter to protect her from the social stigma.

Social, economic and security concerns is not enough reason to rape a minor or any female for that matter. Women are the back bone of society and should not be disrespected in that manner. If females are being molested without justice dealt out to the perpetrators, then what hope is there for the future?

Women need to stand up for themselves otherwise rapists will continue to escape prosecution when there is a law that can dispense due punishment, because what would be the need of a law if there is no one to make use of it?

Leadership

Ex-Bayelsa LG Boss Booed Over Attempt To Rape 13-year-old Girl

Scores of angry youths from the Sagbama town of Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State yesterday booed a former chairman, Hon.Perez Peretu, over his alleged attempt to rape a 13 -year old girl in his country home in the state.

While the Bayelsa State police command spokesperson, Mr.Alex Akhigbe, insisted that the allegation of attempted rape was admitted by the victim against the former local government council boss, the angry youths of the council area insisted that it was a case of rape and called for an independent investigation into the incident.

The angry youths,had in a telephone interview,claimed that the accused former local government council chairman, Hon. Perez Peretu, was allegedly caught pants down in his home having canal knowledge of the girl identified as his wife’s junior sister.

While many of the suspects loyalists claim the alleged rape was an attempt by some persons to rubbish his achievement as past council chairman, others insisted that the charge of rape against the chairman was true and accused the police of trying to subvert justice after alleged financial inducement.

But the spokesman of the Bayelsa Police Command,Mr. Alex Akhigbe, speaking with LEADERSHIP on the development, admitted that the police authorities are aware of the development, there was no official complaint of rape or attempted rape against the former council boss.

Akhigbe said “when the police got wind of the development, we invited the former local government boss and discovered that the case of Rape against him was unsubstantiated and unfounded. We invited the alleged victim and she denied any canal knowledge of her by the chairman and said the chairman attempted it. Though the attempted rape is a crime, there was not official report against him.

Source: Leadership

Man rapes 70yr-old woman to death

UMUAHIA- A 70 year old woman and mother of four, Mrs. Cecilia Ogidi-Okereke, of Ibom Village in Arochukwu, Arochukwu Council Area of Abia State was last Sunday reportedly raped to death by a 32 year old man whose name was simply given as Ochu.

According to a source, Cecilia was said to have around 5pm Sunday, gone to a nearby bush to get some leaves for her domestic goats where Ochu trailed her and raped her to dath. Ochu,the source said, is  believed to be a drug addict and was fond of railing and raping women of the area.

The source said that Ochu abandoned the deceased and ran away after he had brought her body to a nearby footpath to enable the villagers see it.

He was however arrested on Monday afternoon in Ohafia, a neighbouring community as he was trying to escape.

Vanguard

Man nabbed for allegedly impregnating, aborting for teenager

Lagos — Policemen at Igando division, Lagos have arrested a  42-year- old man for allegedly impregnating and aborting a two-month-old pregnancy of a teenager in Igando area of Lagos..

The suspect identified as Rasak Isho, a married man, was alleged to have impregnated the 17-year-old who lives in the same area with him.

Trouble, as gathered,  started for the teenager after she reportedly missed her monthly circle.

She reportedly expressed her fears to Isho, who told her to exercise patience. The father of three was said to have later taken the teenager to an undisclosed hospital where the pregnancy was allegedly aborted.

But the bubble burst after she reportedly took ill and on inquiry by her parents, opened up on what happened, consequent upon which the Police.

At the station, Isho reportedly admitted to having a relationship with the teenager for six months, begging not to let his wife know.

Although the teenager claimed to have been raped at the station but Isho denied, saying she consented to his advances, adding that while wooing her, she told him she was 19 years.

“She never told me she was 17 years. She said she was 19 and that she was a 100-level student at the Delta State University, Abraka.  We started dating six months ago. When I approached her, she gave in and never refused my sexual advances.

“I swear I did not rape her. I have begged her parents to forgive me, that I will never do that again.  It was temptation and the handiwork of Satan. Please, my wife must not hear of this ”

The case, according to police sources, has been charged to the Ejigbo magistrate’s court from where it was transferred to  a family court in Ikeja, on discovering that the case involved a teenager.

Source: vanguard

Tanker driver arrested for defiling 2-yr-old girl

CALABAR — A 41-year-old tanker driver identified as Bashiru has been arrested in Calabar for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl  and infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease.

The incident happened in Okom Ita, Akamkpa Local Government Area, Cross River State, when the two-year old girl  (name withehld)  strolled from her mother’s room  into  Bashiru’s apartment to play with the man she calls “uncle.”

Margaret, the toddler’s mother who narrated the incident to Vanguard said she did  not stop her daughter from going into Bashiru’s room because she considered him a neighbour  who could not harm her daughter.

She said: “We have been living together for some time and now, so when my daughter went into his room I did not stop her even when she later  came out and complained that she was having pains in her private part. I thought it was ordinary pain until in the evening when I wanted to bath her and she began to cry when soap touched her private part.”

Margaret said when she reported the incident to the police, Basiru  was arrested  and taken to the Akamkpa police station .

Mr Hogan Bassey, the Cross River State Police Command spokesman confirmed the arrest of the man and said the matter was under investigation.

Source : Vanguard