CHUKA UBAH
A 74-year old man, Alphonsus Nwaneri Okoroafor, has landed in trouble for allegedly defiling a 4-year old girl with his finger in Okwarauba Village, Isiekenesi community, Ideato South LGA of Imo State.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Pa Okoroafor, was apprehended by the community and handed over to the Police operatives from the Imo State Command for prosecution after the victim exposed him in the community.
On the day the incident happened, he was alleged to have taken the victim, (name withheld), from Okoroduru Village of same community to his house. While there, he gave her brother cooked cocoyam and kept him outside, while he took the innocent girl inside his room to perfect his plan.
However, he landed into trouble after the mother of the victim waited for so long and they did not come back to the house, she decided to go and pick them.
But on reaching there, she saw the man coming out from his room with the kid holding cooked cocoyam in her hand while her brother was sitting outside eating his own and she took them back home.
On getting home, the little girl opened up and told the mother that Pa Alphonsus removed her short and was inserting his finger into her private part. And immediately her father came back, she repeated same to him.
The victim’s mother then reported the matter to the King of the community, HRH Eze Ononigwe V, Gburugburu of Isiekenesi, Eze Athan Onyelusi Ejiogu-Ikpa and the vigilantes.
They moved into action, apprehended the culprit, held a general meeting comprising men, women and youths and unanimously agreed to hand him over to the Police so that he would face the wrath of the law.
He was arrested by the Police and detained at the State Command, where he is undergoing interrogation over the alleged dastardly act on the innocent victim for over two weeks without being charged to Court.
The community has expressed concern over the Police inability to prosecute the suspect despite the overwhelming evidence before them. The community suspected that the Police may have been compromised and may have released him on bail over the alleged capital offence.
However, when our correspondent contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, he confirmed the arrest but denied that the suspect has been released from custody.
He explained that the matter is still under investigation and the suspect will be charged before the Court after the conclusion of investigations by the Police.
The suspect risks several years of imprisonment or life imprisonment for the alleged offence if found guilty before the Court but that will be after the conclusion of investigations by the Police.