APC chieftain, 2 others In Police net Over alleged rape In Isoko
By Nosa Àkeñzua
A Chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, ( name withheld) has been arrested by men of Delta State Police Command for conspiracy and rape of a 17 years old girl (name withheld) at Atanowe Farms, Omorose Street, Irri, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State.
He was arrested alongside one Augustina a.k.a Burger and one other for allegedly committing rape.
According to a close family source, the suspects were arrested at a clinic where the victim was taken to for medical attention following a call placed to the Police in Oleh Divisional Police headquarters by a man who was working within the scene of crime that saw the victim begging for help.
Narrating her ordeal, the victim, who returned from Lagos with her younger sister three days before the alleged incident to spend the holidays with their father, stated that one Augustina a.k.a Burger who they just met and chatted with the previous day at a store in front of their compound, came to their house where they live with their father on 24th of May, 2023 and invited them to follow her to the Suspect’s farm in the guise of engaging them in a menial job.
She added that having no reason to suspect any foul play as the said Augustina claimed to be their aunty, they followed her.
She said, that on arrival at the compound where the farm is located, they met the suspect who was eating. He offered to entertain them by asking for their choices of drink, but while they were about making up their minds, he offered them alcoholic drink (Captain Jack) against their request for Fanta. They were however, prevailed upon by the said Augustina to drink it since their choice was not available, that it was not harmful.
She stated further that after the intake of the drink, she became dizzy, weak and then the prime suspect offered her a drug which he claimed could cure the dizziness and give her strength. Despite her resistance, she said that the suspect, the Suspect insisted that she took the antidote.
Meanwhile, her younger sister went out to buy some snacks for her since the victim had complained of hunger amidst her dizzy state.
According to the victim, “as i was getting weaker despite the administered alleged antidote, Augustina offered and supported me into an inner room to rest a while, but to her dismay, Augustina closed the door and I heard her call the rape suspect, who entered the room where she was laid and raped her.
She added that she recognized him as she could still see despite her dizziness and weakness.
After the ordeal according to her, she managed to stagger out of the house in a bid to find her way out when she not see her younger sister.
Stating her part of the story, the younger sister to the victim simply called Rita, stated that on her arrival from the search for snacks, she could not find her elder sister, and upon her inquiry from the said Augustina she met inside the house, she was told that she did not know her sister’s whereabout, claiming that her sister might have run away from the house.
According to her, in reaction to the response of the said Augustina, she became curious to locate her sister by searching round the vicinity before her sister staggered out from somewhere within the compound, fell on her arms crying of abdominal pains, and that the Suspect had raped her.
She added that she rushed her home from where the victim was immediately taken to a nearby clinic.
The Police in Oleh confirmed that such a case was reported to them in their station but that the matter had been transferred to Police headquarters in Asaba, because of the heavy nature of the alleged crime.
Contacted on the position of the matter, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bright Edafe said that he was yet to be briefed by the DPO.
At the time of filing this report, an insider source disclosed that the suspect and the two accomplices had been released on bail on Wednesday 1st June, 2023 by the State CID, to proceed on settlement with the parties to the case, based on a reported affidavit of withdrawal of the matter by the father of the victim, with a caveat to return to the Police should there be a breach of terms of settlement.
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However, when our reporter spoke with the victim in the presence of her brothers and uncles at their residence along College Road, Irri, she expressed disatisfaction with the action of the father who went to swear to an affidavit to discontinue the prosecution.
Also, one of the victim’s uncles (name withheld) who spoke with our reporter, expressed dismay that his brother, the victim’s father, took such a unilateral decision to stop the matter from getting to its logical conclusion as a result of alleged financial inducement.
