the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, a suspected
serial rapist, Mr. Peter Edigbo, 64, would havebeen lynched by members
of Agbaenyim community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State
last weekend. The suspect waslater arrested by the Command's division
in IzziLocal Government Area for allegedly raping a six-year-old girl,
Miss Nkwegu Chinwe,at midnight when the victim was asleep in her
house.
Vanguard Metro, VM, gathered that the suspect sneaked into the little
girl's room and allegedly forcefully had carnal knowledge of his
victim. According to a resident, the screaming of the girl had
attracted members of the community who rushed to the house without
knowing what was initially happening but discovered that the victim's
screaming was as a result of the immoral behaviour of the suspect.
Incidences of criminality
In a chat with VM, the State Commandant of the Corps in Abakaliki,
Mrs. Ego Echendu, who described the incident as abominable charged
parents to always keep their eyes on theirchildren at every point in
time. She expressedthe readiness of the Command to clamp down on
incidences of crime and criminality throughout the state as NSCDC was
fully positioned in the 13 local government areas to nip any act of
criminality in the bud.
Parading the 64-year-old suspect before newsmen at the Command
Headquarters in Abakaliki, the Corps Public Relations Officer,
Assistant Superintendent of Corps, ASC, Emmanuel Nwali, stated that
the incident whichangered members of the community was also confirmed
by women on examining the little girl after the incident. According to
him, this confirmation enraged the villagers who wanted to lynched the
suspect because that was not the first time he had committed such act.
VM learnt that the suspect's wife had left him as similar past action
on his parthad brought shame and embarrassments to their marriage.
Nwali noted that the suspect had been notorious for such act as
confirmed by the village Head and other members of the community.
According to the Command's spokesman: "Yesterday at about 6pm we
received a signal from one of our divisions in Izzi that an old man
defiled a girl of six years old. When we got the report we told them
to transfer the matter to our command headquarters in Abakaliki so
that we will handle it appropriately. So far we are stillinvestigating
the case and after that we aregoing to hand over the case to the
appropriate quarters because that is not one of our core mandates as
NSCDC.
"The suspect, Mr. Peter Edigbo, hails from Agbaenyim in Izzi LGA of
the state. The village head and villagers, among others, confirmed the
incident, adding that the man has been in such act for quite some time
despite warnings from community members. And if not for the timely
intervention of our men the man would have been lynched. The only
thing, according to the victim, she noticed when she was sleeping at
midnight period was a hard thing inside her body. This is the second
time such thing is happening in the village by the same man".
Reacting to the incident, the grandmother of the victim, Mrs. Mary
Nwofoke, who spoke in her local dialect added that: "I told Chinwe and
the other children that when they wereready to go to sleep, they
should alert me so that I will come and lock the door but they forgot
and slept off. And so because the door was not locked that gave the
rapist the opportunity to sneak into the room and forced himself on
the girl.
"The child woke up and was screaming and calling me. So when I ran
into the room, the man ran out immediately. I asked the little what
happened and in her own naivety, she said 'the man urinated on me'; so
when I heard this I raised alarm and the matter was brought before
the village Council. If not for the intervention of the Civil Defence
Corps, the man would have been burnt to death. Another lady who came
when the alarm wasraised also said the man had raped her before," she
stressed.
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