Funke Busari
A-14-year-old girl, identified as a survivor, italics ours (name withheld) has after one week of intensive medical examination and treatment at a government hospital in Asaba, narrated how she was gang-raped by seven boys in Delta.
She narrated her ordeal in the hands of alleged cult boys to members of the Delta State Child’s Rights Implementation Committee and Sexual Offences Unit of the Ministry of Justice how she was beaten and repeatedly raped.
Aboy Nwaise, Sunday, Michael, Abraham, Uche, Jungle Boy are said to have perpetrated the crime alongside one other suspect.
According to the victim, some of the boys were supposed to be her big brothers in her neighbourhood at Issele-Uku in Aniocha North local government area of Delta State.
The incident occurred following a misunderstanding that ensued between her and Aboy’s mother.
She explained that Aboy’s mother had earlier threatened to deal with her through the son, but never envisaged it would be by violent rape.
The girl said they are tenants in Nwaise’s family compound at Ogboli village in Issele-Uku and usually they run errands for Aboy’s father and he usually gives them money to appreciate them.
Narrating the event of that day, the victim said one Mr. Otu Nwaise who is Aboy’s father returned home from work after it had rained.
Continuing, she narrated that he noticed that there was water in their house and none of his children was home to help him clean up.
She said further that the man beckoned on her ( the survivor) to help sweep the water out of the house, which she did.
Returning from work the next day, the man called on the girl and handed her N500 for helping him sweep the house the previous day.
When his wife saw him giving money to the girl, she accused her of sleeping with the husband.
The girl, her mother and the woman’s husband were surprised because they had always lived as family and the man had always given money to the children when they run errands for him.
She immediately approached the girl, slapped her twice and snatched the money from her hand, ignoring the girl’s mother’s plea, threatening to further deal with her.
She related that a day after the misunderstanding, she was returning home from an auntie’s shop where she had gone to pick her younger brother around 7:00p.m, when the said Aboy accosted her and started asking her about what happened the previous day between her and his mother.
According to her, while trying to explain to Aboy, he told her to take the brother home and come back so they could resolve the issue, hence she went home.
On returning, Aboy asked that they go to his friend’s house nearby to sort things out, and she said she followed him, trusting him as a big brother.
She said on getting to the house there were two other boys in there, smoking. She pleaded with Aboy to quickly explain things to him so she could leave because she was allergic to smoke. But he asked her to hold on a little.
Four other boys came into the room and the next thing Aboy did was locked the door and put the music that was playing on the highest volume, she narrated.
The victim said Aboy asked her to pull her cloth but she started pleading with him to allow her go.
She said her plea fell on deaf hears because he slapped her and hit her head on the wall and forced her naked.
She claimed all the boys in the room started taking turns in raping her while the music was very loud that nobody could hear her screaming for help.
She said there was a friend of theirs who they didn’t allow in because he was telling them that what they were doing was wrong.
She said it was the boys’ friend that helped her home after they were done raping her and opened the door for her to go with a threat to kill her if she ever mentioned them.
When the mother discovered what has happened to her daughter who saw her in a pool of blood, she raised an alarm that attracted neighbours who assisted her to rush the daughter to the hospital around 12a.m.
Getting to the Central Hospital in Asaba, a report was made at the Divisional Police Station in Issele-Uku, where the Divisional Police Officer had to deploy a patrol team to accompany them to Asaba as at 3a.m that day.
The case had since been transferred from Issele-Uku Police Station to the State Command and the police are on the trail of the alleged rapists, including Aboy’s mother who had ran away.
Report had it that Aboy’s father, Mr. Otu Nwaise had been helping to track his son for an arrest. He had since disowned and condemned the actions of his wife and son, stating that they had been a thorn in his flesh. He prayed that his son is caught to face the law for his crime.
Mr. Otu also disclosed that he had earlier reported his son to the Anti Cult outfit to arrest him and deal with him for being a cultist. He said the boy had severally threatened his life, calling him ‘a ju man’.
The Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Peter Mrakpor SAN has said that the state must get justice for the victim.
Mrakpor confirmed the effort of government in ensuring she receives proper medical attention and then going forward, be rehabilitated including relocating her from that environment.
The AG also advised every parent who faces a case of rape and defilement of their children to report and leave the rest for the government.
A member of the State Child’s Rights Implementation Committee, Comrade Patrick Ochei who was detailed to follow up with the case, had commended the Attorney General for equally responding to the situation through the Sexual Offences Unit of the Justice Ministry.
He appreciated the Commissioner for Justice for taking care of all the expenses arising from the girl’s treatment so far, even with a promise to provide fund for further expenses in terms of rehabilitation and others going forward.
Ochei said that the victim being a child would definitely get justice, just as the Committee is poised to do everything within its powers and capacities to prosecute the case to logical conclusion.
He also affirmed that the Committee would come up with programme on how the girl would be rehabilitated against post rape trauma, adding that this is the time to show her all the love she deserves including assigning a professional counsellor to aid her emotional healing.
She spoke to the government officials after the police had obtained her statement at the hospital.
