From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
The Nigeria Police, Bayelsa State Command, has arrested six teenagers over allegations of sodomy at the Bayelsa State Government Internally Displaced Camp located at the Ox Bow Lake in Yenagoa, the State capital.
According to investigations, the teenagers, all boys between the ages of 14 and 16 years were nabbed after an alarm was raised and the action of the teenagers were reported to the camp coordinator and member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Hon Koku Obiyah Ebiwou(Yenagoa 3).
She was said to have reported the incident to the members of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Police for investigation of the incident.
Further checks indicated that the arrested teenagers were found to have been residents of the Cameroon camp along Azikoro road and moved to the IDP camp after their area was submerged by the flood.
A reliable source at the IDP camp said the vigilance of the management committee was crucial to the arrest of the teenagers.
“The boys were discovered to have been engaging in the sodomy act every night at the waterside. On their last outing, someone alerted one of the parents about the act of her child and the mother immediately informed the camp management committee.”
The spokesperson of the Bayelsa Police Command, Asinim Butswat, who confirmed the development however ruled out prosecution noting that the suspects allegedly involved are minors.
“The police will release them to their parents but conduct a discreet investigation over the possible influence of an adult if any,” he said.
Meanwhile, the State Gender Response Initiative team led by its Chairman, Mrs Dise Ogbise has commenced an awareness campaign over sexual abuse at the IDP camps.
Speaking during the sanitization campaign, Ogbise urged the residents of the camps particularly the under aged to protect themselves against sexual violation and charged them to speak out if violated by anyone within and outside the IDP camps,
”We have observed that during an emergency gathering of people such as IDP camps, there is a worrisome rise in illicit sexual acts and violations. We are here to educate them and urge them to “Tell” if violated.”
Also speaking, a member of GRIT and Chairperson of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Ms Maria Olodi Osumah, also urged the residents of the IDP camps not to be cowed by the threats of violence or death after they are violated.
Hon. Ebiwou in her remarks expressed concern over recent observations in the camp and commended GRIT over the sensitization visit to educate inmates of the camp against illicit sexual acts.