Prison official arrested over alleged defilement of minor in Delta

A serving Assistant Inspector of Prisons, Apiakise Samson, has been arrested over an alleged defilement of a 15-year-old girl in Warri, Delta State.

The accused was arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, from “B” Division under Warri Area Command.

The suspect, who has been cooling off his heels at the police station, allegedly defiled the girl on January 21 at Obahor Street in Warri, Warri South Local Government Area of the state.

The arrest is coming as the Divisional Police Officer, DPO “B, CSP Christopher Odoh, reportedly rejected a N5 million bribe to sweep the matter under the carpet.

The DPO, it was gathered, insisted that justice must be done to serve as a deterrent to others hiding under uniforms to perpetrate crimes.

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It was learnt that the suspect on the 21st of January, at about 11:00 p.m., had accosted the young girl, dragged her into the correctional Centre, overpowered her, and forcefully defiled her.

The suspect, thereafter, freed the girl the following morning at about 5:00 a.m.

It was further gathered that when the girl, a JSS III student of Ugbuwangue College, Warri, got home, she reported the matter to her mother, who had been searching for her since the previous night.

Angered by the development, the girl’s mother went to report the matter at the Police Station “B” Division in Warri, after which the suspect was promptly arrested.

A medical examination was, thereafter, conducted on her by Dr. A. Akpofure of the Central Hospital, Warri, and the report indicated that there were penetration and blood stains.

Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said the report hadn’t got to him as of the time of filing the report.

On his part, Secretary to the Comptroller of Nigeria Correctional Centre in Delta State, Festus Onyeaju, declined to speak on the matter because he wasn’t resident in Warri.

It was also gathered that the suspect, as of Tuesday, January 28, is undergoing court marshal from the authorities of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) who had been detailed from Asaba.

Further feelers have it that the suspect might face outright dismissal after his arraignment in court when the internal investigation is over.