Akwa Ibom Police Arrest Pastor For Attempted Rape

The Akwa Ibom police command has arrested a pastor for attempting to rape a 21-year-old girl in the state.

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Akwa Ibom Police Arrest Pastor For Attempted Rape
File Photo

A pastor in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, has been arrested by the state police command for attempted rape.

The pastor, 33-year-old Inifon Inyang, attempted to rape a 21-year-old girl.

The state’s Commissioner of Police, Imohini Edgal, disclosed this yesterday at a media briefing at the command’s headquarters, Ikot Akpan-Abia, while parading the suspect and 11 others.

He said that the police discovered there were eight other girls between the ages of 13 and 16 living with the pastor and he had in the past repeatedly raped one of them.

Edgal said, “Following a complaint on June 18, operatives of SCIID, Uyo, arrested one Pastor Inimfon Eyo Inyang for attempting to rape a 21-year-old girl.

Investigation further revealed that the said pastor, who lives with eight other girls between the ages of 13 and 16 years in his deliverance centre, at several times had unlawful carnal knowledge of one of the minors, aged 15.”

The commissioner, who also paraded other suspected rapists, expressed dismay at the rate at which rape cases, especially from caregivers and supposed spiritual fathers, are on the increase.

He enjoined the public, particularly parents and guardians, to be more cautious of the integrity of persons to whom they entrust their children and wards.

He also warned that any parent or guardian whose child or ward is sent out to hawk would be arrested and prosecuted in line with the provision of section 30 (2C) of the Child’s Rights Act, which prohibits the hiring of children for hawking and also prescribes a punishment upon conviction to a 10-year imprisonment in section 30(3).

Meanwhile, there was mild drama at an Ilorin Magistrates’ Court, Kwara State, on Wednesday as the father of an alleged gang-raped 17-year-old victim ran away with his daughter. The father was said to have brought the girl to court so that she could testify against her cousin,
Omotosho Yahaya, and two others who allegedly conspired to abuse her sexually.

Police First Information Report (FIR) revealed that the first defendant (Yahaya) allegedly lured his cousin to his friend’s house, Mustapha Ridwan and Mustapha Ahmed, where they committed the crime.

To the amazement of many, the victim’s father suddenly ran out of court and jumped on a standby motorcycle with his daughter and zoomed off.
Frantic efforts made by the security operatives who immediately swung into action and chased the duo could not yield any success, as they could not be traced.

The Director of Child, Ministry of Women Affairs, Mariam Yusuf, who was watching with the members of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the court session that the father and daughter would surely be arrested before the next adjourned date.

“The rape case was reported in our office yesterday and we joined them in court today, but when we interrogated the victim, we suspected she had been intimidated and threatened to turn the story around. She said she was not actually raped but molested, that in a bid to revenge the assault, she lied against the culprits.

“When the hearing commenced, the culprits’ lawyer applied for bail but surprisingly, when the Magistrate wanted to give ruling, the girl jumped up and ran away with her father. The action established the fact that she was raped but doesn’t want to tell the truth.

“FIDA has taken it up; the father will be arrested and definitely, he will be able to produce the victim,’’ she said.
Magistrate Afusat Alege, in his ruling, adjourned the matter till June 29.

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