- The victim’s family reported that suspect Abana was upset that a report on his alleged defilement of a minor was published instead of the actual allegation
- Henry Okoye, unaware of the case, instructed the victim’s father to contact him so he could take necessary action
The detention of their breadwinner, Chidi Arimnuta, supposedly on the suspect’s orders, has alarmed the family of Chigozie Abana, the 14-year-old girl who was allegedly defiled by a male.
According to reports, the 14-year-old girl accused her guardian, Abana, of repeatedly raping her between June and July 2023 in their home in Owerri, the capital of Imo State, while his wife was expecting.
Additionally, she said that the suspect would belt her in the middle of the night if she turned down his approaches.
The teenager said that she eventually left his residence when her parents visited her at school and were unable to get in touch with her since the suspect had cut off all contact while he was doing the crime.
The victim’s father claimed that the suspect boasted that nothing would happen to him because of his political connections after the story by PUNCH Metro was published.
According to information obtained, Arimnuta (the victim’s father) was held and arrested on September 20 for allegedly daring to speak to the media about the claims made by his adolescent daughter.
It was learnt that the father of the victim spent a night in detention after Abana was said to have accused him of speaking with the press.
The victim’s father was subsequently bailed the next day by a human rights activist, who does not want his name mentioned.
Speaking to our correspondent after his release, Arimnuta said, “The families made arrangements to see him and discuss the allegations raised by our daughter on Sunday but he suddenly called to say he would not be around on Sunday and that we should leave it till Monday.
“On Monday, he called again that he was not around and that we should leave it for Wednesday. That Wednesday, when we got to the place he invited us, we laid down our complaint, and then he started beating around the bush and was making calls in between the meeting.
“All of a sudden, policemen came to where we were sitting and he pointed at me, saying that I was the one who published the story. That was how I was arrested that day.”
It was gathered from the family of the victim that the suspect, Abana, was angry that a report on his alleged defilement of the minor was published and not the allegation itself.
“That was what made him angry,” he told our correspondent a day after his release.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, said he was not aware of the case but directed that the father of the victim should put a call across to him “so that I can take necessary action.”
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