Defilement of 6-year-old baby: Delta Police boss orders DPO to produce suspect within 24 hours

By MONDAY OCHUKO, Asaba

Delta State Commissioner of Police (CP), Ali Mohammed Ari, has ordered the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Oleh Police Division in Isoko South Local Government Area, a Superintendent of Police, Paul Oboware, to produce a suspect, Mr Lawrence Emeriovo Edigheji, who allegedly defiled a six-year-old baby, within 24 hours.

CP Mohammed confirmed: “I have directed the DPO to transfer all those involved in the matter to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) here at the Police headquarters, Asaba.

“I also directed him to produce the suspect within 24 hours. I will not take such case lightly. What is bad in the sight of men is also bad in the sight of God.”

“How can somebody with clear conscience defile such a little girl?” he lamented.

The victim, Miss Worship Godspower Oyele, was said to have been lured into the house of Lawrence, on Tuesday July 5, 2022.

It was learnt that the little girl was bleeding, arousing the curiosity of a grown up girl who later learnt that it was Lawrence who defiled her.

The grown up girl was said to have alerted the father of the girl when he returned from farm.

The little girl’s mother was said to have died in 2019, making Lawrence who is said to be married with three kids, to take advantage of the baby’s motherless condition to defile her.

There are speculations that Lawrence might have used the blood of the baby for rituals.

It was gathered that the DPO, on getting the information, put several calls across to the community chairman, Mr. Moses Oruerighe Ogbogo, to brief him on the alleged defilement.

The DPO was said to have been told that the community Chairman and others were allegedly making concerted efforts to resolve the matter at community level without informing the Police.

Mr Ogbogo was said to have ignored the DPO’s phone calls. The DPO was said to have been irked by the Chairman’s blunt refusal to pick his calls and had to send him an invitation letter to report to his station on Wednesday July 13, 2022, with the vigilante members of the community and any other persons involved in the issue, to defend themselves on an allegation of covering up the case. Meanwhile, Lawrence is on the run.

The vigilante members were said to have failed to show up at the Police Station on Wednesday. “The DPO had to order the community Chairman to bring all those involved, including the vigilante Chairman, Mr. Gideon Isara, and his members to the station on Thursday, July 3, 2022,” a reliable source at Araya disclosed.

It was further gathered that the DPO ordered detention of lsara and his men, while the community Chairman was said to have escaped from the Police station.

The DPO was also said to have disbanded the vigilante of Araya with a view to inaugurating a new set of members.