Francis was to treat the girl of alleged ailment suspected to be mental illness but the girl told her parents she was defiled.
Speaking in a chat with newsmen when he was paraded, Francis who denied defiling the victim said the allegations was a ploy by the parents not to pay him the balance money he charged them to treat the girl.
Francis said he was shocked when he was accused of defiling the girl after the father has agreed that her sanity has returned.
He said he admitted to the allegations because of the severe punishment he was given.
His words, “I am 51 years old. I am an herbalist in Uromi. A man called Clement came and told me his daughter is having problems in her head. He brought the daughter and I gave her medicine. We settled for N80,000. He gave me half and promised to bring the balance.
“He later came and said the daughter was getting better. I gave him another medicine. The next day, they came back and said their daughter claimed I raped her.
“There was no time I was left alone with the girl. I only bath the girl the first day they brought her. I didn’t do anything with her. It was the father that is now accusing me. It was the beating I received from the police that made me to confess to the crime.”
Another related interesting topic; 15-year-old boy allegedly defiles 4-year-old girl in Ebonyi, goes scot free because of N4,000
