by crossriverwatch admin
A Forty one year old Tanker driver identified as Bashiru has been arrested in Calabar for allegedly defiling a two year old girl and infecting her with a sexually transmitted disease.
The incident happened on Thursday last week in Okom Ita, Akamkpa in the outskirts of Calabar when the two year old girl (name withheld) strolled from her mother’s room into Bashiru’s apartment to play with the man she calls “uncle”.
Margaret, the toddler’s mother who in tears narrated the incident to CrossRiverWatch said she did not stop her daughter from going into Bashiru’s room because she considers him a neighbor who could not harm her daughter not knowing that he was harboring evil intentions.
“We have been living together for some time and so when my daughter went into his room I did not stop her even when she later came out and complained that her bombom was paining her, I thought it was ordinary pain until in the evening when I wanted to bathe her and she began to cry when soap touched her private part”.
The twenty three year old lady said the next day while she was going to the Okom Ita market the girl said she wanted to ease herself and “when I removed her pant for her to ease herself I saw pus and was worried and called my sister and told her what I saw and she said she saw the same thing earlier in the morning when bathing her”.
Later in the evening when she came back from the market and wanted to bathe the girl, the pus had increased and she was crying profusely. “I then asked her who touched her bombom and she said it was uncle and I asked her if she knew the uncle and she said yes and I gave her a touch light to take me to the room of the uncle who touched her bombom and she took me to Bashiru’s room and pointed to him”.
It was then she called the father to the girl, Ifeanyi who is resident in Port Harcourt and informed him what had happened “and he said I should give the phone to his daughter and I did and she told him that uncle touched her bombom and the thing is paining her”.
The father then instructed her to take the girl to the health center which she did and the nurses there confirmed that the girl had infection but could not do a test. “The nurse in the health center at Okomta said they do not carry out such tests that I should take her to Calabar”.
Margaret said when she reported to the police, Bashiru was arrested and taken to the Akamkpa police station but the next day he was released. “When we went the next day, the man had been released without the knowledge of the DPO and when we complained he (DPO) ordered for the man to be rearrested”.
On his rearrest, Bashiru who is from Edo State was taken to the Cross River State Police Command at Diamond Hill and handed over to D12 department for investigation.
Mr. Hogan Bassey, the Cross River State Police Command spokesman confirmed the arrest of the man and said the matter was under investigation but every effort to get his complete name and to locate him in the cell was futile as the lady in charge of the section seem unwilling to provide such information. “I have a feeling the man may have been released”. Another source in the investigating section told CrossRiverWatch.
Barrister James Ibor, a child rights activist said the way police investigate rape and defilement cases leaves much to be desired and called on the Inspector General of Police to take particular interest in such cases “The police have messed up several rape and defilement cases and I think it is time for the Inspector General of Police to take close interest in such matters”.
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