From Abel Leonard, Lafia
In parts of Nasarawa State, cases of rape and sexual violence are not unusual developments. But in recent times, defilement of minors has been on the increase in the state, particularly in Akwanga Local Government Area.
In recent times, no fewer than 50 cases of rape have been reported in the state. And of the number, as many as nine were reported to have occurred in Akwanga Local Government.
On April 9 this year, a case of defilement of a minor, a seven-year-old girl was reported to a non-governmental organisation, GAMMUN in Akwanga. The little girl that was sexually assaulted, it was gathered, was an orphan living with her maternal grandfather in a particular village called Gwanje Loko in the local government.
According to the girl’s grandfather, the mother of the girl died shortly after giving birth to her. The victim’s father was never known, said the grandfather. According to him, the mother just sauntered home with pregnancy and never explained how she got pregnant.
The suspect has been identified as a certain Daniel (other names withheld by us), a non-academic staff of the Nasarawa State College of Education, Akwanga. The suspect is said to be over 50 but remains unmarried. He was arrested by the police and later admitted to an administrative bail. He, however, allegedly bolted but has been rearrested by the police and is currently in police custody.
Saturday Sun visited the village and spoke with the distraught grandfather of the seven-year-old girl. The elderly man, Mr Zakka Makam, a retired civil servant, pleaded with the authorities to get justice for the family. He said the man that defiled his granddaughter must not go free without getting his deserved punishment for such a heinous crime.
Narrating how the incident happened, Mr Makam said: “On that faithful day, I went out in the morning to get something for my children. I left my small daughter and the younger brother at home. When I came back home, I saw the slippers of my daughter outside where she usually kept her shoes. Then I called her to come out and assist me to get something.
“I called her name severally and discovered that she was not answering, I now decided to go into the house. I saw the younger brother still sleeping the way I left them but she was not in the house, I became so worried and I started shouting her name all over the compound.
And then I decided to take a walk around. I now saw my daughter coming out of the direction of the room of Daniel. She was looking very dirty and her eyes were red. She was sweating and panting. I knew something was not right. Immediately, I asked her where she was coming from. For the first time, she lied to me, saying that Daniel sent her to buy red oil. But I was not convinced. So I took her to where she said she went to buy the oil, but the woman selling oil said she had not seen my daughter that day.
“With that explanation, I was convinced even the more that something had gone wrong. I now persuaded her to tell me the truth of where she had been and what had happened to her. That was when she now told me that she was at home sleeping and that Daniel walked into our room, carried her into his room, tore her clothes and slept with her.
“I asked her the reasons she had earlier lied to me, and she said that Daniel told her that if she told anybody, he would kill her and her entire family. She said it was Daniel that told her to lie about her whereabouts.”
The retired civil servant said on hearing the confession of the little girl, he immediately took her to a nearby hospital – Alushi Medical Centre in Akwanga where a test was conducted on her and it was discovered that she was actually raped.
He said when he came back to the house to look for Daniel, who is a neighbour to them, he could not find the man. “But I discovered that he had broken into my house and packed the clothes that were stained with blood and the ones that the girl wore before he had carnal knowledge of her,” he said.
“It was also alleged that he took those clothes for ritual purposes, I am happy with what the police are doing and also the NGO, GAMMUN for what they are doing concerning the case. All that I want is justice,” he added.
A copy of the result of the test carried out and certified by a medical practitioner in the hospital as presented to the Nigeria Police Division in Akwanga was sighted by the reporter. The result showed that two fingers could actually penetrate the private part of the seven-year-old girl.
In a chat with the reporter, the victim, who spoke in Hausa, said she was at home on the fateful day when Daniel came to where she lives with her grandfather and lured her to his room where he forcefully had carnal knowledge of her.
Asked if it was the first time such would happen, the little girl said the day her grandfather discovered the incident was actually the second time he would be sleeping with her.
She said the first time the man defiled her left her clothes stained with blood.
“It was the second time that he would be forcing me to sleep with him. Anytime I wanted to shout, he would threaten to kill me and my grandfather, and I don’t want my grandfather to die. That was why I kept quiet all along. Right now, I am feeling pain all around my legs and I cannot sleep,” she said.
Mrs Talatu Kenneth is the caregiver to the victim who has been relocated from the house in which the incident happened for fear of the unknown. She told the reporter: “The young girl, right now, is living in fear. She wakes up late at night and sometimes shouts as if someone is after her life. She is always absent-minded and always troubled.”
The reporter also s[poke with the Chun Mada and paramount ruler of Gwanje Loko community, Pastor Samson Gamu Yare. He expressed displeasure at the recent rise of rape cases in his community, calling on his people to desist from such atrocities. He was of the view that anyone caught and certified as having perpetrated the act of rape should be castrated to serve as a deterrent to others.
The traditional ruler called on people of the community as well as the security agencies to ensure that rape cases are not treated with kid gloves. He pledged that any information about such acts that get to him would not be swept under the carpet. He noted that this particular case of the seven-year-old victim would be seen to a logical conclusion. He assured that justice would be served.
Rev. Jonathan Thani is the Provost, College of Education Akwanga, the institution where the suspect works. He told the reporter that authorities of the college would not interfere with the investigation and would also not get involved in the matter. He assured that all necessary cooperation would be given to the police where and when necessary to ensure that the law took its course.
“We are in the forefront of ensuring that rape is completely eliminated or brought to the fall. So we cannot find ourselves getting involved with issues of rape, especially as it involves a minor. I wonder what he sees in that small girl that would make him get attracted,” the provost said.
Executive Director, GAMMUN, Mrs Blessing Tulari, highlighted that between January and July, the organisation had received nine cases of rape in Akwanga, noting that all are minors.
On the case of the seven-year-old girl, she said: “The grandfather of the girl came to our office and reported the case and we sprang into action by contacting the police, which led to the arrest of the suspect. He was granted bail after some time. But he did not come back at the time agreed by both parties. But recently, he was rearrested and has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for more investigation..”
Confirming the incident, Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO Nansel Ramhan told the reporter that the suspect had indeed been re-arrested and immediately transferred to CID in Lafia.
His words: “A complaint was lodged at the Divisional Police Station in Akwanga, concerning a rape of a minor alleged to be seven years old. Upon receipt of the suspect, the Commissioner of Police directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Division in Lafia, CID.
“I have gone to see the suspect in our custody. The victim is right now in the hospital for further medical examination so as to start prosecution should the test result come out positive,” he said.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Adesina Soyemi has further directed that the investigating police officer should do a thorough job and rnsure that the culprit is prosecuted as soon as possible.