36-year-old arrested for raping teenager to death

The police in Bayelsa State on Thursday arrested a 36-year-old man for allegedly raping an 18-year-old girl to death.

It was learnt that the suspect, whose name was not disclosed, is an aide of a former Chairman, Community Development Committee, Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.

Though the police said they were waiting for an autopsy report on the deceased, the suspect was said to  have been arrested while trying to dispose of the girl’s corpse on Thursday.

An acquaintance of the suspect, who gave his name only as Koko, said the suspect was from Isoko in Delta State.

He claimed the incident happened when the suspect was trying to help the girl before she died in his apartment.

The suspect, according to Koko, resides in an uncompleted building, close to the Ogbia country home of President Goodluck Jonathan

A police source told our correspondent that preliminary investigation showed that the suspect was arrested with “the girl naked.”

Also, an eyewitness, who identified herself simply as Gold, alleged that the suspect was apprehended by an officer of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

“We saw the civil defence officer dragging the suspect, shouting that he had raped a teenager to death,” Gold said.

But the suspect, while being taken away by the police, was said to have insisted that the matter was twisted.

He was said to have pleaded his innocence and that he stumbled on the deceased while in pains.

An eyewitness, who did not want his name mentioned, said, “The suspect told the crowd that he met the girl while she was on the ground and in pains. He said the girl told him that she took poison due to frustration.

“The suspect said an attempt to rescue the girl led to a Good Samaritan giving them N5,000 for treatment. He claimed he took the girl to a health centre, but no one was on duty. He said he took her home to allow her rest and for another visit to a bigger clinic in the morning. Unfortunately, she died at night.

“The naked body of the girl was found on the bed of the suspect and covered  with a wrapper. What we wondered was why he claimed he was trying to help the girl before she died and she was found naked.”

Spokesman for the state Police Command, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, confirmed the development, saying investigation was still ongoing.

“The suspect has been arrested and transferred to the state police headquarters for further investigation. The corpse of the victim has also been deposited at Kolo General Hospital,” Akhigbe said.
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