A fifty-year-old man, Danladi Daniel, who is a non-academic staff of College of Education, Akwanga, in Akwanga local government area of Nasarawa state, has allegedly defiled a seven-year-old orphan.
Our correspondent gathered that the victim stays with her grandfather in Ungwar Loko, Gwanje village in Akwanga Local Government Area of the state, and is his only granddaughter.
In a chat with our correspondent in Akwanga LGA, the grandfather appealed to the state government, the police and relevant authorities to urgently intervene in the matter to ensure that the perpetrator of the act is prosecuted according to the law.
The victim, who has been living with her grandfather since her parents died four years ago, told our correspondent that on the fateful day, she woke up and discovered that she was the only one at home; so, she decided to sit outside their compound.
She explained that one ‘Uncle Dan’, whose house is near to theirs, asked her to come and meet him, but she refused.
“He left and still returned back, pretending as if he was fetching water from the well. And before I knew what was going on, he dragged me to his room, removed my pants and slept with me.”
The grandfather of the victim stated that when he returned in the evening, he could not find his granddaughter at home.
He said, “My belief at first was that my granddaughter was kidnapped to an unknown destination. I was totally confused and devastated when I couldn’t set my eyes on her.”
“Upon searching for her within the neighbourhood as I kept on shouting her name at the top of my voice, I saw her limping out of Dan’s room. Her eyes were looking red; she was sweating.
“I asked her what happened, then she revealed that my neighbour, Danladi Daniel, dragged her to his room and had sex with her. I immediately took her to a nearby health centre for a test and it was confirmed that she had been defiled. We also saw blood on her clothes and private part.”
The Protection Manager, Gamun Centre for Care and Development, Mrs Blessing Tulari, affirmed that the victim was traumatized as a result of the defilement, adding that she urgently needs medical attention and care.
Tulari lamented the high rate of sexual abuse against minors across the 13 local government areas of the state, pointing out that between January and July 2022, 12 cases of defilement had been recorded.
The Nasarawa State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, said the suspect had been apprehended.
“The suspect, Mr Danladi Daniel, a non-academic staff of the College of Education, Akwanga, has been arrested for allegedly defiling the seven-year-old orphan,” he stated.
He added that the suspect had been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Lafia for further investigations.
