Rose Ejembi, Makurdi
When on the morning of that fateful Saturday, February 9, 2019, Mrs. James (not real name) came out of her house behind Bem Hotel, Ankpa Quarters, Makurdi, Benue State, to catch a commercial motorcycle to meet an appointment, little did she know what lurked ahead of her.
The mother of two who stood by the roadside close to her house waved down the first motorcycle that approached her about 5:45 am and told the rider her destination.
But rather than take her to her destination as agreed, the motorcycle rider alongside his other accomplice ended up taking James somewhere around Kwararafa Quarters, robbed and raped her inside a gutter at gunpoint.
Nemesis soon caught up with the evil doers as the intelligence team of the state Police Command trailed and apprehended them somewhere around Logo 1 area of Makurdi with the aid of the phones they stole from the woman.
The suspects, Tersoo and Iorwa who are now cooling their heels in police custody confessed to Daily Sun that they actually committed the crime but blamed the devil for their ordeal.
Tersoo who particularly confessed that it was not his first time of abducting and raping female victims said he did not know what usually came upon him to commit such crime against women. The suspect who spoke in pidgin English said: “Even me, I no like that thing but I no they fit control myself if the devil dey push me to go and do that thing. That day as I come carry that woman for Bem Hotel area, after she tell me where she dey go, I carry her and as we dey go, that spirit just come again, na so I no fit control myself again. Before I know, I don carry am go enter one gutter with my friend. Na so we come rape am for there.”
Asked how long he has been into the act. Tersoo who claimed that it was not long ago said Mrs. James was his second victim said it was the phone they stole from the woman that eventually implicated them.
He, however, allayed fears that he was raping his victims for ritual purposes saying it was a spiritual problem that he has that made him indulge in such act.
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Omololu Bishi, said they were arrested after a complaint was lodged against them: “On 09/02/2019 at about 1800hours, some armed robbers operating with a motorcycle behind Bem Hotels, Ankpa Quarters, Makurdi, abducted and conveyed a victim to Quararafa Quarters, Wadata, where they raped and robbed her of a phone and the sum of N2000 only.”
He said during investigation, Tersoo and Iorwa were arrested around Logo 1 area of Makurdi in connection with the crime. He said the suspects confessed to the crime and would soon be charged to court after completion of police investigation.
The CP advised people to be more security conscious and not be afraid to report any suspicious acts around them to the police promising that such information would be treated with utmost confidentiality.