Police:

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

A 70-year-old man, Pa Francis Ezomo, and his two sons, have been handed over to the police by the Edo State Government, for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl (name withheld).

The septuagenarian and his sons, Nosa, 26, and Festus, 29, were said to have defilied the minor who is a relative of the octogenarian’s wife.

The suspects were handed over to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Babatunde Kokumo, at the Government House, in Benin, by the Acting Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Basic Education, Dr. (Mrs.) Joan Osa Oviawe.

She disclosed that the case was reported to her office by the headmistress of the minor.

“The issue came to the limelight when the headmistress of the minor’s school noticed a change of behaviour in the minor and decided to ask her what the problem was.

“The nine-year-old girl narrated her ordeal to the headmistress who then informed the Education Secretary of the local government council where the alleged crime took place. We then swung into action and got the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development involved.

“We could not get the necessary action required from the Police, the State government swung into action and these three men were apprehended almost immediately,” Oviawe said.

She explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has taken custody of the child who is now in a safe place and assured that SUBEB would ensure that her education is not truncated.

“What the men have done is bad and their actions have attempted to destroy the life and future of the minor. The three men took advantage of the child and exposed her to trauma. We have waded into the case to ensure justice prevails,” Oviawe added.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Kokumo, assured that his men would investigate the allegation and charge the case to court.

“Scientific investigation for the minor was sent to the hospital and a doctor report has shown that her hymen has been broken. The scientific report has established that the minor was sexually abused. We will investigate the case and charge them to court,” Kokumo said.

He urged parents not to leave the duty of nurturing their children to teachers in schools, adding , “Nurturing a child is not just the responsibility of the school, both parents and guardians have a lot of roles to play in the proper training up of our children.”