A 51-year-old transporter, Unegbu Chika, has been arrested for allegedly defiling his 14-year-old domestic help in Isuofia, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State.
According to The PUNCH, the suspect was apprehended by security operatives following a tip-off from a whistleblower. He confessed to the crime, citing temptation and the recent loss of his wife.
The victim, who had been living with the suspect since 2018, reported that the abuse began in 2019 and continued until help arrived.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, commended the prompt response of the Isuofia People’s Assembly and urged citizens to report suspicious activities.
Meanwhile, the victim said she started living with the man in 2018 when she was eight years old and shortly after, in 2019, he started defiling her.
She said, “He usually have his way during weekends and holiday periods, but he became more at ease with the act after the death of his wife.
“I did not raise the alarm because he always told me to keep it a secret, and ever since then, I have been keeping it that way till help came.”
Speaking immediately after interviewing the suspect, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, thanked the Isuofia People’s Assembly leadership for their prompt response in apprehending the suspect before the arrival of security operatives.
Obinabo said defilement and rape crimes were not tolerated in the state, urging the citizens of the state to be on the lookout for any suspicious act, movement or otherwise and report to the appropriate authority.
She assured the people that the state government would not hesitate to take action on the matter.
The suspect has been handed over to the police for further investigation and consequently to be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka while the victim will undergo medical examination.
The state police spokesman, Tochukwu Ikenga, confirmed the arrest of the suspect, saying investigation had commenced adding that the suspect would be charged to court at the end of the investigation.
