A 37-year-old man, Emmanuel Ighoruemu, has been arrested for allegedly defiling his 8-year-old neighbor in Egbo community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The suspect was apprehended thanks to the efforts of human rights activist Comrade Kelvin Ejumudo.
Ighoruemu is currently detained at the Otu-Jeremi Division Police Station, where he confessed to committing the heinous crime.
According to medical reports, the young victim has been infected with warts and suffered a broken hymen and ruptured vulva.
The victim is undergoing medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
The alleged defilement occurred when the victim’s parents left her in the custody of their neighbor and traveled out for a day.
Ighoruemu reportedly lured the girl to his bedroom, defiled her, and then threatened to kill her if she revealed the incident.
He also offered her N500, which she rejected.
This is not Ighoruemu’s first alleged offense; community sources reveal he raped another minor in the same community in 2023.
Instead of reporting him to authorities, community youths flogged him and accepted money to settle the matter.
Comrade Ejumudo condemned the community’s handling of the previous incident and urged leaders to report such cases to the police.
Ejumudo also called on the Delta State House of Assembly and Commissioner for Women Affairs to intensify awareness campaigns against rape and defilement.
The suspect is set to be charged to court on Wednesday, November 6, 2024.
Ejumudo emphasized the need for stringent penalties for rapists, stating, “We must get rid of such personalities in our communities because they pose a great danger to the girl child and society at large.”
Source: Platform Times
