Rage,
shock and confusion pervaded Okwoyi village, Isieke community in
Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State as a 15-year-old girl
committed suicide after being ganged-raped.
The deceased, Comfort Uche-Ume, a native
of Amaeke Abam in Arochukwu LGA of the state, was allegedly raped by
three boys; Ndubuisi Wogu, Chinaza Ufomadu, and Francis Onwoboro now on
the run.
The deceased was a JSS 3 student of
Isieke Community Secondary School and had just finished writing the
“Junior WEAC” exam, according to a source.
The source also said two of the culprits hail from Okwoyi while the other is from Ikwuano LGA.
Confirming
the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ezekiel Onyeke
said the police had declared the suspected rapists wanted.
Onyeke told Southern City News that the
victim who until her death resided at Iyienyi village with her parents,
had gone in the company of her sister who was married at Okwoyi, a
neighbouring village, to see her (sister) husband.
He said that as evening approached, the
deceased opted to return home to remove the clothes they spread outside
to save them from getting wet from the threatening rain.
But another source said the deceased
decided to return home because she was having the key to their house so
that the parents who travelled would not be stranded upon their return.
The PPRO said that as the deceased was
trekking back to Iyienyi village alone, she was allegedly accosted by
Nwogu, who had been making unsuccessful advances at her.
He said Nwogu, assisted by two other
accomplices, dragged the victim to a nearby bush where they gang-raped
her, threatening to kill her if she raised any alarm.
Police said that when the sister of the
deceased returned home, she met her crying and after enquiries, Comfort
narrated her ordeal to her.
Irked by the sexual assault on her
sister, she was said to have informed her husband, who quickly rushed to
confront one of the suspects and engaged him in a free-for-all.
According to the police, the victim was
later brought to Umuahia Central Police Station around 9pm by her
parents to officially report the matter.
Onyeke said after lodging the complaint,
the police first decided to take the victim to the police clinic for
examination and medical attention.
He said after she was examined and the
police wanted to take her statement, but the parents pleaded that they
should be allowed to take her home, promising to return the next morning
since it was getting late so that they could still get transport home.
The incident, according to him, took place Friday last week.
“But instead of returning as they
promised, the parents never showed up. The mother of the deceased rather
decided to scold her over the incident.
“The mother mismanaged the situation. She
said to her ‘Have I not warned you not to go to Okwoyi village alone?
Now three men have raped you and if you become pregnant, who will be the
father of the baby?’
“On Tuesday morning, the mother of the
victim allegedly went to her room again and started talking to her. She
later invited her for the family’s morning devotion, but she declined,”
The state police spokesman pointed out
that when the family began to hold their morning devotion about 20
minutes later, a shout was heard outside the house and the family
members rushed out.
According to him, the initial thinking of family members was that the rapists had come to attack her again.
But that was not to be as they were
shocked to their marrows to see the lifeless body of their daughter, who
was reportedly seen leave her room with a head tie/ veil across her
shoulders, dangling on a guava tree beside their house. She had
committed suicide!
Police said the deceased might have decided to take her life out of frustration and possible stigmatisation.
The PPRO, therefore, advised parents and
guardians to exercise caution when “they manage sensitive situations
that might come their way, especially the ones affecting their children
or wards.”
He said, “Parents should avoid
stigmatising their children, but treat them with love anytime such
unfortunate situation comes up.”
Onyeke also appealed to members of the
public with any credible information about the whereabouts of the
alleged rapists to volunteer same to the nearest police station for
prompt action.
Meanwhile, a source at Okwoyi told our correspondent that the villagers had begun a manhunt for the suspects.
The source said hunters had been mobilised to comb every nook and cranny of the village for their possible arrest.
According to the source, the villagers
are not taking the incident lightly, vowing to stop at nothing in
bringing the culprits to bok.
“This is an abomination and we will make sure we fish them out of any hole they may have run into,” the source said.May her soul rest in peace
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