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A high court sitting in Owerri, Imo state has remanded a 65-year old man, Eke Duru in custody for sexually assaulting an eight years old child.
Mr. Duru hails from Ubomiri, Mbaitoli local government area, Imo state, and until his incarceration was a driver with Great Grace Bakery, Ubomiri.
The suspect was said to have carnally violated the child on 10 different occasions.
The complainant (mother of the child) Mrs. Florence Opara narrated the ugly incident of how her daughter was severally assaulted without her knowing.
She mentioned that the suspect who supplies bread to shops in their street usually lured the child to a container abandoned close to the house, covers her mouth with white handkerchief and forces himself on her, and had often threatened to kill her if she tells anyone.
“The last day, he came to supply bread as usual, only to take my daughter to a container, pull her dress, covered her mouth with a handkerchief, but this time, a passerby noticed what was happening and raised alarm” this even happened when we were all at home”.
“My daughter opened up and to my greatest shock, I didn’t know my daughter has been defiled talk more of being violated 10 times by same man”
Virgin Heart Foundation, the intervention group pushing for justice for the child expressed shock at the increasing level of sexual assault on minors.
The facilitator of the Foundation, Peace Dike, regretted that incidents of gender based violence was becoming rampant, especially as it concerns sexual defilement of minors.
She commended the Imo State Police command for their effort in ensuring that perpetrators of gender-based violence were made to face the full weight of the law.
She added that the rising cases of child defilement involving children calls for more vigilance by parents and society around children.
