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Four Men Gang-rape Schoolgirl For Five Days

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A 15-year-old teenager, who was allegedly abducted, drugged and raped by four men in the Igando area of Lagos State, has been found.

She was found last Friday, five days after she went missing and a search party was raised by her family.

The victim’s father, Tony, who spoke to PUNCH Metro, said his daughter had just finished sitting her West African Senior Secondary School Examination and was on her way to church when she was abducted.

He said the victim was going to the Saint John Catholic Church, Igando, when four men in a Toyota Camry, who pretended to give her a lift, drove her away.

Tony said the teenager was in the company of her siblings when the incident happened.

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READ ALSO: 20-year-old Raped, Killed In Edo, Police Confirm Arrest

He said, “My other children said on their way to church, they greeted the people who were in the car and they asked where they were going and they said church. So, they said they should get in the car that they were also heading in the same direction.

“But after their eldest sister entered the car, they sped off and her other siblings started shouting, ‘Sister, where are you going to?’ Immediately, they wound up the glass and even when she was shouting for help, nobody could hear her.

“After searching for her throughout Monday and Tuesday, I reported a case of a missing person at the Ikotun Police Station and the search for her continued. We posted her picture on different WhatsApp groups until a church member saw the post on Friday and sent us the number plate of the car that was used to abduct my daughter.

“The church member said he saw when my daughter entered the car and he immediately wrote down the number plate of the car, but he didn’t know that she was abducted, adding that he saw the street where the car entered.

“We went to the street, Aiye Omere, Igando. When we got there, we saw the car and my daughter, where she was kept, drugged and was being raped by the four men from Monday till Friday between 4pm and 5pm when we got there.

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“My daughter was not herself; the only thing she was able to tell her mother was that they kept drugging and raping her and whenever they were going out, they would drug her and then she would fall asleep until they returned.”

The victim’s father said one of the suspects was identified as Ifeanyi the Great, adding that the police arrested some of the culprits.

He noted that a classmate of the victim who lived on the street where she was violated was also arrested.

“After we found my daughter, we took her to the Igando General Hospital so she could be examined, but she was rejected. They said we should come back on Monday, but a family member told us to go to Mirabel Centre at Ikeja and not wait till Monday.

“I want justice for my daughter. I want all those involved in the abduction, drugging and raping of my daughter to be punished for the violence they committed against her,” he added.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.

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He said, “A case of abduction of a 15-year-old girl who was drugged and raped was transferred from the Ikotun Police Station to the gender unit at the state police headquarters. The outcome of police investigation will determine the next line of action.”

Abduction and rape of teenage girls have been on the increase in the country.

READ ALSO: How My Family Friend Raped, Impregnated Me, Female Student Tells Court

In February 2021, men of the Lagos State Police Command arrested four suspects for gang-raping a teenager in the Ejigbo area of the state.

The suspects, who were also teenagers, allegedly attacked the victim on her way to buy food.

In July 2022, the police in Ogun State also arrested three men for allegedly gang-raping a 15-year-old girl while forcing her into a cult.

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The victim was running an errand for her mother when she was waylaid and abducted by the cult members.

The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, said there was an increase in formal and informal reporting of sexual and gender-based violence.

She said, “In the unfortunate instance where sexual violence occurs, the survivor is encouraged to immediately go to a designated health facility to receive medical attention and counselling.

“The survivor is also encouraged to report the case at a designated police station because these issues are criminal and securing conviction is one of the ways of ending the culture of impunity.”

PUNCH.

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Metro

Anambra Court Jails Two For Vandalising Electricity Cables

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A Federal High Court sitting in Awka, the Anambra State capital has sentenced Chinonso Chinaemelu, 27-year-old, and Okoye Christian, 20-year-old to one-year imprisonment respectively for vandalising a distribution substation belonging to the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company Plc.

This development was made known by the Head, Corporate Communications, EEDC, Emeka Ezeh, in a statement on Thursday.

Ezeh said the duo were arrested on November 29, 2023, by Abatete local vigilante group while attempting to vandalise the distribution substation within the locality.

He also confirmed that in the same week, a couple identified as Mr & Mrs Ebuka Umeh, were arrested by members of Isuorji community neighbourhood security in Orlu, Imo State.

READ ALSO: Hoodlums Set Anambra Police Station Ablaze

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According to him, the couple was arrested when the wife was attempting to pick the vandalised items from a distribution substation belonging to EEDC with their motorcycle, adding that the couple attacked the substation for three days.

Ezeh said, “In a related development, a vandal suspect identified as Chukwuebuka Ezike who hails from Umunachi in Orsu Local Government Area of Imo State was arrested by Umuezinachi community neighbourhood watch while he was cutting aluminum conductor around Orie Uguiri Market.

“At Amachi-Izhia, Ebonyi State, Amara Joseph Ajagbo was arrested by members of the Electricity Committee for vandalizing nine spans of aluminum conductors in their community, while two of his gang members escaped.

READ ALSO: Court Sentences Chinese To Death For Killing Nigerian Girlfriend

“The suspects have been handed over to the respective Police formations for proper investigation and possible prosecution.”

Ezeh lamented the spate of vandalism in the EEDC network, stating that it is a major challenge negatively impacting the smooth operations of the company.

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According to him, between January 2022 to date, the company has recorded over 170 cases of vandalism in its network, with about 135 suspected vandals arrested, out of which over 100 have been charged to court.

He stressed that the company will not relent in its resolve to prosecute these arrested suspects and go all out to fish out receivers of these vandalized items as they remain the motivation for the vandals.

Ezeh lamented that it has become difficult for the organisation to fund the restoration of vandalised infrastructure and that the development is affecting service delivery to customers.

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Metro

Hoodlums Set Anambra Police Station Ablaze

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Some yet-to-be-identified assailants have set ablaze the police divisional headquarters in Nneni, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It was gathered that the hoodlums invaded the facility in the early hours of Thursday and threw explosive devices that burnt parts of the building.

A source and one of the residents in the area said the hoodlums were attempting to free some inmates at the facility, but they were unsuccessful as police officers on duty repelled the attack.

READ ALSO: INEC Disowns LP’s National Convention

When contacted, the spokesperson for the state police command, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the attack but added that no life was lost.

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“In Nneni, no life was lost. No policeman was whisked away, and no armed was taken away. Instead, the hoodlums threw IEDs into the police facility, which torched part of the building.

“Our operatives gallantly resisted the attackers, which made them flee. Operations are still ongoing, and further developments shall be communicated,” Ikenga said.

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Metro

Court Orders Release Of 313 Suspected Terrorists

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A Federal High Court in Borno has ordered the release of no fewer than 313 suspected terrorists arrested by the military.

The court ordered their release for lack of evidence to nail the suspects after the investigation.

The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Buba Edward, disclosed this during a briefing on military operations across the country on Thursday in Abuja.

He assured all that the military would comply with the court order and release the suspected terrorists to the state government.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Military Yields To Pressure, Frees Abducted Lagos Editor

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Buba said, “During the week, as a follow up to a court order of the Federal High Court in Maiduguri, a total of 313 suspects in detention for terrorism-related offences were to be released to the Borno State government.

“The court ordered the release for want of evidence after the conclusion of the investigation and other ancillary matters.

“The cases were prosecuted by the Department of Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice. Accordingly, they would be handed over to the Borno State Government for further action.”

The PUNCH reports that this is not the first time suspected terrorists would be acquitted for want of evidence.

READ ALSO: INEC To Publish Edo Gov Candidates’ Credentials Saturday

The Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had on December 4, 2023, said out of a total of 1,323 suspects prosecuted for terrorism, only 366 convictions were secured.

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He noted that 896 others were discharged for lack of evidence.

Fagbemi said, “I must acknowledge the fact that we have come a long way in this initiative. The first phase of the Kainji Prosecution Project commenced in October 2017 with remarkable achievements where we recorded a total of 366 convictions, 896 others were discharged for want of sufficient evidence and 61 other cases adjourned for further hearing.

“There have been three phases of the exercise so far, spanning between October 2017 and July 2018. I must, at this point, challenge all stakeholders to ensure that the momentum is sustained, seeing how important this assignment is to the well-being of our beloved country and her people.”

 

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