A former member of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) operative popularly known as Ejima has been arrested over an alleged case of serial defilement.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that the suspect was nabbed at Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra state by the vigilante and handed over to the police authority in the area.
The victims, five underaged children from four different parents, between the ages of five to eleven years, are all from Ebonyi state.
Narrating their ordeal, one of the victims said the suspect had requested they come over to his house to rest after asking them to fetch water for him.
She said: “He later asked the oldest two among us to cook for him while he asked the youngest to sleep on the bed and the other on a mat respectively.
“While we were busy with the assignments he gave us, we observed him defiling those who were sleeping. He even requested we join in the show.”
Asked why they did not raise alarm, two of the victims said the suspect warned them not to or risk being beaten.
The victims’ parents, on their part, said the news of the defilement came to them as a rude shock, saying they least expected such an act from the suspect.
Father to two of the victims who pleaded anonymity said, “when I got back from church, my wife told me that the children she sent to go fetch water at a nearby compound were yet to be back several hours after.
“We looked for them everywhere and quickly decided to involve the local vigilante for a wider search.
“It was later in the evening that my children came back alongside other kids within the neighbourhood and when I accosted them, they confessed they were defiled.”
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- MONDAY LINES: For 133 Million Poor Nigerians
- EDITORIAL: Campaigns: Governors’ Antics Against Opposition
While revealing that the suspect used to visit his wife’s mini restaurant, where he normally played with the kids, the visibly devastated father said they never suspected he would be involved in such.
Parents to the other victims, petty traders and a tailor respectively, said the suspect had been in the habit of moving out with girls, both young and old, but said they never thought he would be involved with kids.
They called on the government to assist them to get justice for their children.
It was gathered that the victims have been taken to Ntasi Centre at General hospital Enugwu-Ukwu where they were examined and treated at no cost, while the suspect is currently at the state CID from where he would be charged.
Reacting, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Hon Ify Obinabo, warned that anyone found guilty of any crime would not go unpunished.
She urged parents and caregivers to always be vigilant and careful about who they leave their wards with.
“Once the law finds the suspect guilty of the crime levelled against him, he will not go unpunished.
“We warn others who are using their positions to perpetuate crime to desist forthwith or face the full wrath of the law,” she said.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, is yet to react to the incident at the time of filing the report.
