A Magistrate court in Nsukwa, Delta State has remanded a 40-year-old man, Emeka Okwuasa in Ogwashi prison for allegedly raping a two-year-old girl.
Okwuasa, who was remanded for unlawful carnal knowledge of the minor was arraigned by the police yesterday and will be in the prison pending advice from Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). The case has been adjourned to July 10.
Okwuasa allegedly raped the child on May 31. The little girl lives with her parents in Nsukwa in a compound owned by Okwuasa. Okwuasa’s arrest and prosecution were spearheaded by a human rights organisation, Behind Bars Rights Foundation.
According to the head of the foundation, Gwamnishu Harrison on Facebook, it was gathered that the victim’s father had left home in search of his daily bread leaving his daughter under the care of his 12-year-old son, Sunday. But the landlord took advantage of the situation, as he purportedly sent Sunday on an errand to carry out his evil plan. On his return from the errand, Sunday met the suspect with the little girl, who was crying and bleeding from the private part.
Harrison’s Facebook post also revealed an initial twist in the case – the police arrested the victim’s 12-year-old relative, the boy who was sent on an errand by the landlord. They reportedly detained and tortured him for five days, after accusing him of being the rapist.
The police later set the boy free, and then picked up the real suspect, Okwuasa. The victim’s father paid a N2,000 bribe to the police before he could secure the boy’s freedom, according to Harrison.
Harrison said the police also demanded a N10,000 bribe from the victim’s father before they could charge the suspect to court. Enraged by the police attitude, Harrison and his group went into the street, protesting and calling for justice.
