There was rapport and easy camaraderie among them. The kids are often seen dashing from one apartment to another. The children acted like kids of the same parents.
But in this Garden of Eden, resides a
serpent, Mr. Nwoja. The unsuspecting neighbours didn’t know his true
nature until one of their children started having pains inside her
private part. The girl’s parents almost collapsed in shock when the
child revealed that Nwoja had serially raped her. The man didn’t just
insert his fingers into the girls’ private parts, he also inserted his
manhood. His wife was said to have travelled to the village since the
news of the incident broke out.
Other parents quickly rallied round,
comforting the mother of the girl and dishing out advice. Their good
advice however ceased in shock after more kids in the compound revealed
that the man raped them too. When the victims were counted, they were
about nine girls. While mothers took to crying, fathers sharpened their
swords. Others tried to calm frayed nerves. Seething fathers were
finally persuaded to take the matter to the police. What makes a man to
resort to defiling nine female children?
This was the question on the lips of the
people of Onueke Town and the entire people of Ebonyi State. Nwoja, a
father of three, in his forties, is now being described by his once
loving neighbours as someone that couldn’t be trusted, especially where
female kids were concerned.
Nwoja, a cab driver, was accused of
defiling nine children between ages six and 10. He was alleged to have
been defiling the girls for long without anybody being aware. One of the
affected children is said to have contracted infection following the
defilement. Trouble started after one of the mothers noticed her little
girl was experiencing pains in her private part, apparently due to
injuries sustained during penile penetration.
One of the victims, Precious (surname
withheld), a 10-year-old, said Nwoja had had sex with her about five
times, adding that he usually does it in secluded areas, including
inside his car. Precious further said: “Sometimes, I would be in a deep
sleep, he would come and carry me to a corner in the yard and do it.
Last time, he carried me while I was sleeping in the house and took me
to the bush, at the back of our yard. He asked me to pull off my
clothes. When I refused, he torn them off, removed his own clothes and
raped me.
He also used to have sex with me inside
his car. He usually parks the car at the back of the compound.” Another
victim, Amarachi, said that it started one night when her father sent
her on errand. The suspect approached and requested for sex. She
recounted: “When he came to me and said he wanted to have sex with me, I
ran, but he caught and dragged me into the bush. He removed my pants
and raped me. I shouted, but no one heard me because the place was
lonely and far from where people reside.
Afterward, he used his handkerchief to
clean my body.” Some other affected children said the man inserted his
fingers into their private parts. One of the parents, Mrs. Elizabeth
Nweke said: “I was bathing my little daughter and massaging her body
when I noticed she was hurting. I made attempts to wash her body very
well but she would always remove my hand whenever I wanted to wash her
private part. Whenever I tried, she would wince in pains.
“I asked her what happened to her and
she told me Nwoja used to remove her pant and his own, and would insert
his manhood into her private part. I shouted because I never expected
him to do that sort of thing.” Mrs. Nweke said she reported the matter
to members of the community. Nwoja was immediately summoned. After much
interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted to the crime. Another
parent, Monday Obaji, said Nwoja was handed over to the police in
Onueke.
The parents were however shocked to see
him at home that same day. He had been released. The parents alleged
that the police were trying to sweep the matter under the carpet. The
Chairperson of Family Law Centre, Mrs. Elizabeth Nwali, charged with the
responsibility of handling such cases, explained that the Centre
petitioned the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID),
following anxiety over the suspect’s sudden release from detention.
Nwali, who condemned the defilement of
the children, said the Centre would ensure justice was done. She called
on parents to avoid sending their underage girls on errands in the
night, to avoid being raped or sexually molested. The State Police
Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr.
George Okafor said the matter was under investigation. He said the
matter would have been charged to court, but for the Christmas break. He
added that the affected families were yet to bring their victims for
medical test. Okafor added: “The matter would be charged to court after
investigation.
The police have not compromised the
case. We’re not covering the matter, but a medical examination must be
carried out on those children as part of our investigation. Their
parents have not brought them to us for medical examination. We have
made arrangement for the medical examination. This is a delicate matter
that requires number of things to prove the case. The man in question is
still in our custody.
The case was transferred to the SCID. I
want to say that there is nothing like compromise on our part over this
case.” The image maker said that only seven of the children were
allegedly defiled according to information available to the police, not
nine as alleged.
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