Anambra Govt Vows Justice as 16-Year-Old Alleges Repeated Abuse by Guardian and Others

(Abuse. Photo by Shutterstock)

The Anambra State Government has pledged to pursue justice for a 16-year-old girl who was gang-r@ped by eight men, including her own guardian, in the Nawfia community of Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.

The state Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Esther Onyekesi, made this commitment when the victim, whose identity is being protected, was brought to her office in Awka on Thursday.

Visibly emotional and moved to tears, the commissioner expressed deep outrage over the extreme trauma the teenager had suffered at the hands of individuals who were supposed to protect her, and vowed that every person involved in the horrific act would be brought to justice as a warning to others.

A medical report presented to the commissioner confirmed that the teenager is two months pregnant as a result of the repeated s£xual ass@ults she endured.

The case was brought to the attention of the commissioner by a Catholic priest from Nawfia who stepped in after becoming aware of the abuse.

In her remarks, the commissioner said the state government condemns the act in the strongest possible terms and assured the victim of her safety, pledging that the ministry would follow the case closely until justice is fully served.

She also appealed to men to see themselves as protectors of women and young girls rather than predators who exploit their vulnerability.

While recounting her ordeal, the victim revealed that her guardian had been forcing himself on her every night, after which other men became involved in the ass@ults.

She said a good Samaritan facilitated her escape from the abusive environment last week, following which some arrests were made before she was brought to the commissioner’s office.

She also disclosed that her guardian’s wife, who suffers from a stroke, was unable to intervene in the abuse.

The victim told the commissioner that police at the Nawfia Division had arrested two of the eight suspects, while the remaining six remain at large.

The case is currently being handled at the Nawfia Police Station.

The incident comes on the heels of another deeply troubling case from May, in which the body of a woman in her sixties, Victoria Adegoke, was found abandoned in a nearby bush.

The deceased was found unclothed and is suspected to have been r@ped and strangled before her body was dragged into the bush.