A 75-year-old barber, Nwankwo Nweke, has been arrested by the Anambra State Government for allegedly defiling an 8 year old girl in Awka, the state capital.
The suspect, who hails from Isi Agu in Awka South local government area of the state, after the arrest confessed that it was temptation that made him have carnal knowledge of the girl.
Nweke further pleaded for mercy and promised to be of good behavior if the state government pardoned him over the crime.
Meanwhile, the appeal has been ignored by the government through the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo.
Obinabo, who was visibly sad over the incident, assured the 8-year-old survivor of justice and warned that anyone caught in such act won’t go free.
She lamented that despite the state government’s fight against rape and defilement, some bad eggs are still engaging in the crime warning that if and when caught, must serve jail term.
Meanwhile, the parents of the 8 year old, Mr John and Mrs Ogochukwu Ugwuanyi explained that they sent their little baby to get something at a nearby shop around 7pm, when she came back they noticed the items weren’t complete and asked her to return back to the shop after which they started looking for her.
The parents stated that they quickly went to the shop to look for her but didn’t see which prompted them to raise alarm over her sudden disappearance in the neighborhood without knowing that the suspect had already taken her in his house and told her not to answer to her name.
They revealed that the suspect, who at the time was their neighbor, pushed the 8 year old out of his room when he felt the search was over.
On how they knew what transpired between their daughter and the 75 year old, Mr and Mrs Ugwuanyi said that when their daughter finally came back that night, they questioned her to know what happened she told them that the suspect lured her to his house with a promise to give her mango.
They noted that it was at that point that they involved security operatives before taking their child to the hospital.
