The government 0f Anambra State has announced the arrest of a 30-year-old man, identified as Chinonso Nwaebonyi, for the alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl in Awka, the capital of the state.
Chidimma Ikeanyionwu, the media aide to the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, disclosed the arrest in a statement on Thursday in the state.
The statement noted the suspect had been refilling her after he took advantage of them playing in the neighbourhood since the holiday period began. The victim explained that the suspect had gone on to have sex with her on several occasions, which is usually on Mondays and Tuesdays. She was quoted as saying the incident had taken place for five times now.
The statement disclosed that the mother of the victim had discovered the incident on a particular when she returned and started bathing the children; it was disclosed that the mother had discovered that the private part of the teenager was swollen, which drew a high level of suspicion.
According to the statement, the mother confronted the family of the accused and took the victim to the pharmacy to get medication before reporting the case to the ministry.
Upon interrogation, the suspect had earlier denied the allegations but confessed to committing the crime after a series of questions by the security operatives. The suspect explained that he never forced the teenager for sex but noted that it only happened once.
The suspect also disclosed that he had only told the girl to take off her clothes and lie on the bed, which she accepted.
According to the ministry, the suspect, Nwaebonyi, is a native of the Izzi community in Ebonyi State; he was arrested by the operatives upon the mother of the child submitting the report.
It was revealed that the victim was born to the family after the parents had stayed childless for ten years. She was born with her twin brother.
The suspect was handed over to the police after conclusions of investigations the suspect will be charged to court for prosecution.
According to the 2015, Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which criminalised all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, defilement, female circumcision, and forceful ejection, was enacted. Offenders, upon conviction, face life imprisonment or a maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and the type of violence committed.
In the past years, several individuals have been arrested by the authorities in Anambra state with rape and defilement; the cases have been charged to court, waiting for prosecution.
