Two men have been arrested by operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons over alleged sexual assault.
Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have arrested a 41-year-old Festus Femi, an installation Engineer, for alleged rape of three school pupils of the same secondary school and at different occasions.
The suspect, who hails from Ondo State, is married with two children and lives in Bwari Area Council of Abuja. His wife and children live in Ondo State. He was apprehended by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and thereafter referred to NAPTIP for further investigations and prosecution.
The first victim, a thirteen (13) year old Junior Secondary 2 pupil in one of the secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, lives with her parents in Bwari.
The victim stated that she met Festus through her classmate, who asked her in school to escort her to Festus’ house, and claimed he was her uncle. On getting to the house, her classmate and Festus went out briefly, and on their return she told the victim that Festus wanted to have s-x with her.
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The victim’s refusal and pleas of being a virgin fell on deaf ears. Mr. Festus turned the volume of the sound system very high and raped her in the presence of her friend. He further threatened to kill her if she tells anyone. This left the victim so distraught that she attempted suicide.
The second victim is a twelve (12) year old Junior Secondary 2 pupil who lives with her Aunt in Bwari. The same classmate took her to Festus’ house and told her that Festus wanted to have sex with her. On her refusal, Festus gave them money and told them to visit some other time. On a fateful day, she was on her way to her classmate’s house and met Festus on the way; he invited her to his house and raped her while she was waiting for her friend.
The third Victim, a fifteen (15) year old girl is the same person that introduced the other two victims to him. She stated that Festus was her former neighbour and each time he had sex with her, he gave her five hundred Naira. He also told her to bring girls for him and he would give her three thousand Naira. She stated that so far, she had brought 5 girls to him ranging from 12 to 15 years. She further corroborated the first victim’s story on the rape and threat to life.
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In a related development, a 51-year-old bursar of Government secondary School Dangara, Abaji- Abuja, was also arrested by NAPTIP officials for allegedly drugging, raping and impregnating a 15-year-old student.
The suspect, Luke Gabriel Ekundayo, from Ilorin, Kwara State, was the victim’s guardian in school, and she spent short holidays in his house. The victim, a senior secondary three (SS3) student took ill in Mr. Ekundayo’s house, and upon taking some drugs administered to her by the suspect, she passed out. On waking up, she saw bloodstains and said she felt uneasy, but did not suspect that the school Bursar, whom her grandmother handed her over to, for protection, could do anything sinister to her.
The victim, an orphan who was on Scholarship, was threatened by the suspect into having sex with him continuously, or he would tell her sponsors to stop paying her school fees. The rape continued until the victim got pregnant
Reacting to the news of the arrest, the Director-General of NAPTIP, Dame Julie Okah-Donli condemned the actions of the two men, and said the action is in line with the name-and-shame policy of the Agency. She stated, “Rapists will be prosecuted for their crime against humanity and NAPTIP will not hesitate to bring the full wrath of the law on any rapist”.
She further frowned at the high rate of rape in the society, and cautioned school girls to be careful of the kind of friends they keep, warning that a lot of teenagers are led astray by fellow teenagers, who are unfortunately victims of the crime themselves.
In addition, the DG admonished parents to “be careful of who they entrust their children with as it is unfortunate that the people who are meant to protect the children are the ones who end up exploiting and abusing them”
The NAPTIP Boss also commended the efforts of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps for arresting and referring the case to the Agency for proper prosecution, and used the opportunity to call on the public to report any rape case within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to NAPTIP.
Stella Nezan
Head, Press and Public Relations Unit
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