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Man Arrested For Defiling 12-year-old Girl In Rivers

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The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 48-year-old man, Emmanuel George, for allegedly defiling a 12-year-old girl (name withheld) in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

Spokesperson for the command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement on Monday, stated that George committed the offence on September 6, 2025, after luring the minor while she was sent on an errand by her aunt.

According to her, the victim, who had gone to buy fried potatoes, was attacked by George, a native of Akwa Ibom but residing in Port Harcourt.

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The statement read, “On the 6th of September, 2025, at about 7:30pm, operatives of the State Police Command attached to the CP Strike Force, received a distress call reporting that a 12-year-old girl who came to spend the holiday with her aunt at Mini Orlu, off Ada-George Road, Port Harcourt, had been defiled.”

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Cleric Over Alleged Defilement Of Underage Girl In Osun

“The suspect dragged the victim into a stationary tricycle, popularly called Keke Napep, tied her hands, covered her mouth to prevent her from raising an alarm, and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her before fleeing the scene.”

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Iringe-Koko stated that the girl was later taken to the police hospital in Port Harcourt for treatment, while the suspect was arrested the same day, around 10pm.

She further disclosed that recovered exhibits during the arrest included a bundle of rope, a tricycle, and a wrap of fufu, adding that the suspect confessed to the crime during interrogation.

The state Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, in the statement vowed that “perpetrators of crime in Rivers State will face the full wrath of the law.” He also urged parents and guardians to monitor their wards closely.

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READ ALSO:Police Arrest 80-year-old Man Over Alleged Defilement Of Minor In Bayelsa

The incident has once again spotlighted the rising cases of child sexual violence across the country.

The PUNCH in May reported that the National Human Rights Commission documented 86,633 child rights violations across Nigeria between January 2024 and January 2025, which included cases of sexual abuse.

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Another report in June 2025 has Civil society groups repeatedly raising alarm over high rates in rape and defilement cases, stressing that perpetrators believe children are easy targets due to their vulnerability, silence, or inability to defend themselves or speak up.

However, the increase in reported cases, especially involving minors, may also reflect growing awareness, improved public education, and the gradual breakdown of the culture of silence.

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IFAD, Life-ND Train 630 Agriprenuers In Edo

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Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises for Niger Delta (Life-ND) in collaboration with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Federal Government on Tuesday trained no fewer than 630 youths in agriprenuer in Edo State.

The trainees, regarded as incubatees, were simultaneously trained across the three Senatorial Districts of the state with the theme: Building a New Generation of Agriprenuers for Sustainable Food Security in Edo State.

Speaking at the orientation programme in Benin, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Jerry Uwangue, said the programme “aligns perfectly with the vision of our state,” adding “to nurture young farmers into successful agriprenuers who can transform subsistence farming into profitable agribusiness ventures.”

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Represented by Principle Igbinadion, Programme Manager, Agricultural Development Project (ADP), Uwangue said
the programme was not about training individuals, but “breeding a new generation of innovators, leaders, and wealth creators who will drive Edo State towards self-sufficiency in food production.”

READ ALSO:Anambra, Lagos, Others Top 2025 Fiscal Performance Rankings, As C’Rivers Dropped from 5th to 30th

Uwangue expressed the state government’s readiness to support the beneficiaries through “improved Access to inputs, Extension services, value chain development, and Linkages to markets.”

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We are also integrating LIFE-ND initiatives into the broader state agricultural transformation framework to ensure sustainability beyond donor support.),” he added.

The commissioner, while urging the incubatees to take the opportunity seriously, said: “Agriculture today is no longer about hoe and cutlass; it is about innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.”

Through your dedication and creativity, you can build thriving enterprises that will not only feed our people but also employ others and contribute to the State’s economic growth,” he added.

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READ ALSO:Obaseki Has Paid N147m Counterpart Fund For LIFE-ND Agric Project, Says Coordinator

He urged the incubatees to “seize the opportunity, remain diligent, and be proud ambassadors of the agricultural transformation we are driving in Edo State.”

Earlier in his remarks, State Coordinator, Life-ND, Mr. John Omoruyi, said the training “represents the beginning of a transformative journey,” adding that over “3,000 agriprenuers women and youth in the promotion of cassava, rice, fish and poultry commodities along with the corresponding value chain as well as Business Development Service (BSC) in Edo State,” have been captured.

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He added that “together, we are building a new generation of skilled, self-reliant, and prosperous youths who will transform the agricultural landscape of Edo State and increase in the food basket of Nigeria.”

 

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Ogun FRSC Spokesperson Dies After Protracted Illness

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The Public Education Officer of the Ogun State sector command of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Florence Okpe, a Chief Route Commander, is dead.

The State Sector Commander, Akinwunmi Fasakin, confirmed the demise of Okpe to our correspondent in a phone conversation on Tuesday.

Fasakin said that the former image maker of the command had been on a sick bed for a while before succumbing to death on Tuesday in her hometown in Cross River State.

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READ ALSO:FRSC Warns Officers Against Bribery, Unethical Practices

The sector commander said, “We lost Okpe this morning, Tuesday; her family has confirmed the sad news. She had been sick for a while and attending the clinic here in Ogun until she was given medical leave, after which she travelled to her hometown in Cross River State, where she eventually died.

“Okpe was no doubt an enigma, a very sound, resourceful and professional officer of unparalleled dedication to duty. I have sincerely lost a very dutiful officer. She was very dear to me, and it’s been a sad day since we were told of her death.

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“The command commiserates with her family and loved ones and pray that the Almighty God will grant all of us the strength to bear this irreplaceable loss.”

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Two Dead, 28 Rescued As Building Collapses In Lagos

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Two people have been confirmed dead, while 28 others were rescued after a two-storey building collapsed at 49 Coates Street, off Oyingbo Road, Lagos, early yesterday.

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service (LSFRS) said it received a distress call around 12:20 a.m., and responders from the Sari Iganmu Fire Station arrived nine minutes later to begin rescue efforts.

The Director of the Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Beatrice Makinde, confirmed that the deceased were a man and an elderly woman. A resident, who declined to be named, said he was awakened by a loud cracking sound moments before the building gave way. Another resident said a man who visited the premises late on Sunday had not been seen since the incident, though officials have not confirmed this.

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READ ALSO:Lagos: Festac DPO, Matilda Ngbaronye Is Dead

Teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), LASAMBUS, the Fire Service, the Nigerian Police and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) were at the site, using heavy machinery to search through the rubble.

LASEMA’s Permanent Secretary, Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, said the operation would continue until everyone was accounted for. He added that investigations were ongoing to determine whether structural fatigue or substandard materials caused the collapse, and that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted.

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Residents said the building had been repeatedly marked for demolition by the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) over structural defects, but the owner allegedly ignored the warnings and carried out unauthorised renovations. Some tenants reportedly moved out after noticing cracks, while others remained until the collapse.

READ ALSO:Lagos Inaugurates 24-hour Traffic Management Operations

Emergency officials provided water, medical care, and temporary relief supplies to displaced residents, while authorities urged the public to stay away from the area to allow rescue operations to continue smoothly.

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Earlier, LSFRS Controller General, Margaret Adeseye, said 15 people: seven men, four women and four children, had been rescued with varying degrees of injury and taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Ebute Meta and the Lagos Island General Hospital. She confirmed that the collapsed structure had previously been declared unsafe but remained occupied.

Adeseye added that the LSFRS and other emergency agencies were fully mobilised to ensure that all victims were rescued and accounted for.

“It is an ongoing rescue involving an existing two-storey building which had reportedly been marked distressed before collapsing on the occupants,” she said.

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