Favour Percy-Idubor, Benin
A 40-year-old man, Monday Obakpian has been arrested by operatives of Edo State Police Command for alleged defilement of a 14-year-old girl (name withheld).
A statement by the Command’s spokesman, SP Moses Joel Yamu, disclosed that the suspect lured the innocent girl into his room at Odo Quarters, in Ibillo, Akoko Edo local government area, under the guise of sending her on an errand.
“He took advantage of that situation and forcefully had carnal knowledge of her, it took the effort of a neighbour who called in the Police when he heard the victim screaming from the suspect’s room.
“The suspect has confessed to the crime and will soon be charged to court.
“The Command, in the spirit of this year’s theme for the campaign against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) ‘Safety, everywhere and always’, is calling on each one of us to contribute in preventing or stopping such violence, especially against women and girls.
“This also serves as a warning to the general public, particularly perpetrators of these heinous crimes, that the Command will do everything in its powers to protect the vulnerable and bring the criminals of such dastardly acts to book,” Yamu said.
