A 30-year-old man identified as Chinonso Nwaebonyi, has been arrested by security operatives for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl in Awka, Anambra State capital.
Nwaebonyi, a native of Izzi community in Ebonyi State, was apprehended after the mother of the seven-year-old reported the incident to the Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare in Awka.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, by Ms Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, the media aide to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo.
Ikeanyionwu said the suspect, on interrogation by security operatives, had earlier denied the allegation, but later confessed to committing the said crime but “only once”.
The statement read in part, “According to the seven-year-old, she, with her twin brother usually go to the compound after theirs to play since the holiday started. It was at the place that the suspect started defiling her.
“She stated that the suspect had had carnal knowledge of her for about five times which was always on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“On how the mother got to know of the incident, the seven-year-old’s mother said she got to know one of the days she came back from work to bathe her kids and discovered that her daughter’s private region was swollen.
“On inquiry, she was briefed on what had been going on and she quickly went to the next compound to complain to the guardians of the suspect after which she took her daughter to a pharmacy before coming to the ministry.
“Meanwhile, the suspect, who had earlier denied the allegation, later confessed to committing the said crime but only once.”
On interrogation, the suspect said he never forced the girl, but only asked her to raise her clothes and lie down on the ground.
It was gathered that the seven-year-old survivor and her twin brother were born to her parents after 10 years of childlessness.
As of the time of this report, the suspect had been handed over to the police where he would be interrogated and charged to court.
While reacting to the development, Obinabo said the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, decried the high rate of child abuse in the state despite efforts to bring it to the barest minimum and vowed that anyone caught involved in such act won’t go unpunished.
“The governor thanks Ndi Anambra for always bringing such dastardly acts to the attention of the state government and stated that his government will not relent until child abuse is ended in the state,” she added.
In 2015, the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlawed all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, defilement, female circumcision and forceful ejection was enacted and offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and type of violence committed.
Several persons have been arrested in Anambra State on offences ranging from rape and defilement and many cases are at various courts waiting for prosecution.
