A police officer attached to the Nasarawa State Police Command, Nigeria, allegedly raped and impregnated his 15-year-old niece.
The suspect said to be an Inspector with the Special Investigations Bureau of the Nigerian Police (SIB) under the office of the Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa state, Nigeria, was arrested on 18 July, 2022 and is currently detained at the state CID, Lafia, as investigations continue.
The State Chairman of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Mrs Rabiatu Addra, confirmed the incident during a press briefing in Lafia, on Wednesday, July 27.
According to Mrs Addra, a whistleblower had reported to them that the 15-year-old victim was repeatedly raped by an uncle she was staying with after the death of her father.
She said that on receipt of the whistleblower’s report, FIDA in conjunction with the Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response team (SGBV) facilitated and mobilised the police, which led to the arrest of the suspect.
“Our team with the police took the victim to the hospital and paid for her treatment but unfortunately she lost the six-month-old baby. The state ministry of Justice further paid the bill for a DNA test as part of the ongoing investigation to ascertain the real culprit.” the FIDA chairperson said.
She said that the victim has been discharged from the hospital and is now safe and has been reunited with her family.
Mrs Rabiatu Addra said that the group would not stop until justice is served and appealed to the police to ensure a thorough investigation of the matter.
“The team is always ready and prepared to promote, protect and serve the rights of women and children. We are appealing to victims of abuse to always have the confidence to speak out so that we can render the necessary support to them,” she added.
Addra also urged the police command in the state to ensure a thorough investigation of the matter.
Meanwhile, it was further gathered that the JSS 3 student began to suffer rape shortly after she began to live with the suspect.
According to a report by Citizen’s Centre For Justice, Leadership and Peace, the officer allegedly laced soft drink with drug and gave her when the wife was not around.
“She woke up to pains in her vagina and lower abdomen. She also saw blood on her bed and her clothes and also her vagina, a clear indication that her virginity was destroyed. At other times, he gives her same substance and rapes her and she wakes up only to see herself soiled in sperm. It got to a point that he doesn’t drug her before raping her. He threatened to kill her if she tells anybody. As pregnancy got to six months, the perpetrator procured abortion drugs from a quack chemist and it was on the third day of taking the pills that we got to know.” the report said.
“After the arrest of the perpetrator, we took the girl to the Hospital where it was confirmed that the foetus was already dead. Surgery was done immediately to remove the dead foetus which happened to be female. The blood sample of the perpetrator and that of the foetus was taken for DNA purposes through the financial and moral support by FIDA Nigeria International Federation of Women Lawyers, Nasarawa state chapter. She is currently recuperating from the hospital bed.”
