The rate of rape cases at the camps of flood
victims across the country took a turn for the worse as a 13-year old girl,
(names withheld) was allegedly raped at Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area
of Delta State.
She was reportedly lured from the St Michael's College camp for flood victims by a man who turned out to be the husband of her mother.Sources said that the man who is also an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Iyede-Ame but stayed off camp had deceived the little girl that he wanted to give her plantain which he brought from the village.
This he said was to assuage her suffering at the camp owing to insufficient feeding at the camp.
The rape of the young girl is coming on the heels of similar incidents in Benue State, where no fewer than 19 women have fallen victims to randy men in the camp.
Consequently, amidst the scandals, incessant rape and molestation and security challenges at the camps, the Delta State government is planning to overhaul the arrangements in the camps in the state.
Though the state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan had denied cases of rape in the state, investigations reveal that over four persons including the 13-year old girl had been raped in the camps.
This is also coming with the arrest of two men who had allegedly impersonated officials of the Ministry of Agricultural and were reportedly deceiving IDPs to register their loses in the camp with a fee of N200 and N500 depending on the level of the damage suffered through the flood.
The suspects would be charged to court this week for fraudulent offence, it was learnt yesterday.
Following the menace, Governor Uduaghan said the state government would appoint camp commandants to man all the camps in the state to instill orderliness while warning youths terrorising flood victims in the camps to desist or face the wrath of the law.
His words: "If anything happened to the IDPs and any youth from such communities foment trouble and their leaders cannot curtail them I would arrest their leaders".
The leaders would be held responsible for any unwarranted actions by youths. However, three persons have been reported dead at Ewu, Ughelli South Local Government Area and in Olomu Ughelli North LGA of the state.An old man who had earlier refused to be evacuated was also found dead in Ijaw speaking area of the state as he was said to have plunged himself into the river ostensibly out of frustration.
In Benue, investigations revealed that rape cases have become a daily occurrence in the four official camps spread across the state capital for flood victims.
She was reportedly lured from the St Michael's College camp for flood victims by a man who turned out to be the husband of her mother.Sources said that the man who is also an Internally Displaced Person (IDP) from Iyede-Ame but stayed off camp had deceived the little girl that he wanted to give her plantain which he brought from the village.
This he said was to assuage her suffering at the camp owing to insufficient feeding at the camp.
The rape of the young girl is coming on the heels of similar incidents in Benue State, where no fewer than 19 women have fallen victims to randy men in the camp.
Consequently, amidst the scandals, incessant rape and molestation and security challenges at the camps, the Delta State government is planning to overhaul the arrangements in the camps in the state.
Though the state governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan had denied cases of rape in the state, investigations reveal that over four persons including the 13-year old girl had been raped in the camps.
This is also coming with the arrest of two men who had allegedly impersonated officials of the Ministry of Agricultural and were reportedly deceiving IDPs to register their loses in the camp with a fee of N200 and N500 depending on the level of the damage suffered through the flood.
The suspects would be charged to court this week for fraudulent offence, it was learnt yesterday.
Following the menace, Governor Uduaghan said the state government would appoint camp commandants to man all the camps in the state to instill orderliness while warning youths terrorising flood victims in the camps to desist or face the wrath of the law.
His words: "If anything happened to the IDPs and any youth from such communities foment trouble and their leaders cannot curtail them I would arrest their leaders".
The leaders would be held responsible for any unwarranted actions by youths. However, three persons have been reported dead at Ewu, Ughelli South Local Government Area and in Olomu Ughelli North LGA of the state.An old man who had earlier refused to be evacuated was also found dead in Ijaw speaking area of the state as he was said to have plunged himself into the river ostensibly out of frustration.
In Benue, investigations revealed that rape cases have become a daily occurrence in the four official camps spread across the state capital for flood victims.
It was also gathered that perpetrators of the unholy act were young men who reside in the camps with their victims and some who come from within the communities where the camps are situated.
From Wurukum to Saint Catherine and Wadata camps,
it was the same sad story. One of the victims, a girl of 19 who craved
anonymity disclosed that she was raped two days ago at about 10pm by a young
man she couldn’t identify.
“I was walking back into the camp after I had
visited a former neighbour in town. I got into the camp that evening, while
walking towards the classrooms where we sleep, somebody called my name from a
dark spot. “I tried to find out who it was, but before I knew what was
happening, somebody grabbed me from behind and threatened that he would stab me
to death if I shouted.
“He grabbed me, pressed me down and raped me. I
am not the only one they have done this to, there are so many other girls;
there are over 19 of us that have been raped in the last few days, but we are
all hiding it because of the shame, but if we don’t cry out we will not get
help because we are helpless.
“And if we don’t cry out because of the
shame, the people behind this evil acts will continue to torment other girls
and women in the camps”, she lamented.
When contacted, the Deputy Police Public
Relations Officer, PPRO, for Benue State, Assistant Superintendent of Police
(ASP) Ejike Alaribe said the rape cases have not been brought to the
notice of the Police. Alaribe, however, assured that the Police would intensify
its surveillance around the camps in the town to stem the unhealthy
development.
The Compass
PEOPLE WHO REAP AND EXPLOIT OTHER PEOPLE'S MISFORTUNE WILL NEVER GO UNPUNISHED!
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