Two Anambra vigilantes nabbed over attempted rape

Two vigilante personnel in Anambra State have been arrested for an attempted rape of a 12-year-old girl.

It was gathered that the incident happened at Nkutaku area of Okpoko in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects, whose identities were not disclosed, are currently at the Okpoko Police Division, within the same local government.

It was gathered that the the victim hails from the Guyuk Local Government Area of Adamawa State, but lives on Obodoukwu Road near Atani Road.

The victim was said to have been dragged to an abandoned structure by the suspects, while she was going with a neighbour, a male of the same age, at about 10pm on Tuesday, to lock-up her mother’s shop which is also located in the same area.

A police source at the Okpoko Police Division told our correspondent that, while the two minors were walking along the street going to lock-up the shop, the two vigilante operatives, fully armed with machetes and pump action guns accosted them, intimidating and subjecting them to instant fear.

It was, however, gathered that after taking the minors to an abandoned structure on Obodoukwu Road, the suspects told the little boy to go home and bring N1,000 to bail themselves for wandering at that time of the night.

The source said the purpose of asking the little boy to go home to bring the money was to leave them alone with the helpless girl in order to accomplish their mission.

However, luck was said to have run out on the suspects when the boy returned to their residence and narrated how they were hurriedly taken away by the security operatives, which prompted the girl’s father, identified as Mr Lee Bibamde, a trader, to immediately call for a rescue team in search of the missing girl.

Bibamde, with the assistance of another vigilante operative and some elders were taken to the scene where they met the victim fully naked.

According to the victim’s father, “My daughter was pantless (without panties). They had also succeeded in removing her tight. In fact, she was fully naked. The other operative was somewhere keeping watch for his colleague so that he could take his own turn of my daughter from the confession made by them.”

Meanwhile, a top management and commander of the security outfit where the suspects were working, while reacting, said the two vigilante men have since been sacked.

The police source said, “The commander of the vigilante outfit did a wonderful job by arresting the suspects and subsequently handing them over to the police for prompt action. The matter is being investigated and may be charged to court on Thursday this week.”

While confirming the incident, the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the two suspects are in the police custody and will be charged to court at the end of investigation.

“The two suspects are in custody and at the conclusion of the investigation, they shall be charged to court,” Ikenga added.

(Punch)