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For endangered girlchild in Rivers, it’s one day one rape 

Blessing Iruoma, Port Harcourt

Inasmuch as the African society has not completely given full right to the female child in prominent positions, women have continued to excel in all phases of life, attracting development and creating awareness for the continent.

Today, women are faced with various forms of abuse – sexual harassment, domestic abuse, maltreatment by husband, traditional discrimination, intimidation in politics by the male folks, etc.

In recent time, residents of Rivers State have heard and witnessed several cases of sexual abuse on the girl child. These abuses were not just carried out by strangers or during robbery attacks on victims, but by relatives, neighbours, lecturers, fathers and the worst is clergy who was accused of defiling a minor of less than two years old.

A 30-year-old father, who gave his name as Mr. Ibe had recently disclosed that a pastor of a new generation church defiled his 19-month-old daughter, who went alongside the mother to visit her aunt in Asaba.

Narrating the incident to our correspondent in Port Harcourt, Mr. Ibe revealed that the said pastor, Kalu, who is the elder brother to his baby mama and resident in Asaba, Delta State, defiled the little girl in the night of the incident while the mother was away from the house.

The mother of the minor, Cindy Emmanuel, in a telephone interview with our correspondent, revealed that when she noticed the bruises and blood on the baby’s private part, the daughter informed her that her sister’s husband allegedly touched her.

The pastor was later arrested by the B-Division of Nigeria Police in Asaba, Delta State and transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Asaba, Delta State.

Meanwhile, mother and daughter are back to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where the father of the girl resides.

Another pastor, Tony Daniel of a new generation church at Elechi/Wokoma Street Mile 3, Port Harcourt, was also accused of raping a 21-year-old member of his church.

The victim, narrating the ugly experience to journalists at the front of the church premises, said  Daniel and his Personal Assistant, Miss Favour, allegedly lured her in the guise to settle a dispute between her and the pastor’s wife.

The victim, who is a hairstylist, said she was obliged to meet them when Favour, who is her customer, persuaded her that the pastor’s wife would also be in the meeting.

She alleged that few minutes after she got inside the supposed venue for the peace meeting, the pastor locked up the door, increased the volume of the television set while Favour and the other lady she could not identify properly held her as the pastor raped her.

The 20-year-old lady further alleged that the pastor and his accomplice forced her to swear an oath with a substance suspected to be ‘juju’ not to reveal to anybody what transpired in the place or she would die.

In the meantime, Barrister Festus Bonwin, a lawyer with Human Rights Advocacy Group, Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, told our newsmen that the group petitioned the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State, CP Eboka Friday, upon receiving a report from the 20-year-old victim, demanding for a thorough investigation into the allegation made by the victim against the pastor.

The pastor was later detained at Azikiwe Divisional Police headquarters Mile 2, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

In another development, there was mild drama at Chief Magistrate Court 20 in Port Harcourt, as a 13-year-old girl revealed that she was four months pregnant for one Sunday Samuel, who was arraigned in court by the Human Right desk at Rivers State Police headquarters, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt.

The accused is facing a count of unlawful carnal knowledge of an underage girl.

The Presiding Chief Magistrate, Gomba Osaro, remanded the accused in the Port Harcourt correctional centre and adjourned the case till August 16, 2021, for consideration of bail after he pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The charge sheet read:

“That you Sunday Samuel on the 14th day of February at Ohakwe Street, Rumuigbo in PortHarcourt Magisterial District, did have unlawful carnal knowledge of one (names withheld) girl underage of thirteen years and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 218 of Criminal Code of Cap 37 Vol.11 Laws of Rivers State 1999.

On July 6, 2021, the Rumupeirikom (Kala) Divisional Police headquarters in Port Harcourt, arrested Henry Ogbuji, a native of Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State,  for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 12-year-old girl in the area.

It was gathered that Ogbuji allegedly defiled the 12-year-old girl when she came into his house for an errand in the month of March, 2021.

The National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro, had brought the incident to the notice of the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nnamdi Omoni.

A 100-level female student of the Rivers State College of Health  Science and Management Technology, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, recently, filed a complaint of alleged rape, sexual harassment and intimidation against a male lecturer of the institution, Mr Chikakpobi, who is also the Head of Department (HOD) in the institution.

19-month-old female who was defiled by a pastor

Mother of the traumatised victim, Lemon Gbara, who spoke to journalists after she and members of a Human Rights group, led the 20-year-old victim to file a complaint against the HOD at the human rights desk at headquarters of Rivers State Police Command, said she wants justice for her daughter.

Mrs. Gbara, a widow, accused the HOD of raping and constantly harassing her daugther even after the incident.

She regretted that her daughter, who is barely few months in the institution, is traumatised after the incident and has severally tried suicide.

Recently, the Senate of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumulumeni in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State dismissed three male students of the institution over gang rape of a female student inside a male hostel in the university.

With the expulsion of the students, the management of the university has proven that issues of sexual violence do not have a place in the institution.

In other to eradicate the issue of girlchild rape, a group, Centre for Environment and Human Rights Development (CEHRD), extensively campaigned for the bill, which addresses the challenges of harassment and sexual abuses on both male and female victims be given serious attention by the government.

The bill, “Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act”,  was passed into law by the state House of Assembly in 2015.

Dr. David Vareba, Head, Human Rights and Governance, CEHRD, who spoke during the training of police officers on the Enforcement of Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, said that the call arises due to the incessant increase in rape and gender-based violence in the state.

He said CEHRD has been working with the police and other critical stakeholders, including the health sector and Civil Society for the past three years to ensure that the Rivers Governor, Nyesom Wike, give attention to the Act.

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