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The Family Law Centre, Abakaliki, has handed over a 35-year-old man, Mr John Icha, to the police for allegedly defiling three minors in the state.
The Chairperson of the centre, Mrs Elizabeth Nwali, handed over the man on Thursday at a hearing of matters at the centre in Abakaliki.
Nwali said that Icha had being indulging in such acts with minors in Agbarigwe Amoffia Ngbo community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.
According to her, the Ezzamgbo general hospital uncovered bruises and infections on the victims, as a result of the act.
She confirmed that Icha had been assaulting his neighbour’s children and that Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law established for such matters in the state, would be used accordingly.
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Nwali called on the state government and other relevant authorities to make use of the law to serve as a deterrent to other perpetrators.
‘Relevant authorities should act because there are other victims of this kind, who are afraid to report either because of threat to life or no proper action against the culprits.
‘We will take the victims to real gynaecologists to examine them properly and tell us if they will be reproductive in future or not,’ Nwali said.
In separate interviews, the three victims aged 4, 7 and 8-year-olds revealed that the suspect took them to his apartment and defiled them.
‘While we were playing, he called us out, kissed us and took us to his apartment where he threw us on his bed and started putting his male organ in our private part,‘ they said.
Mr Elom Odoh, father to one of the victims, said he noticed her constant stomach upset and when he asked her, she disclosed that Icha had canal knowledge of her.
‘The constant stomach ache led us to Ezzamgbo general hospital where a lab test conducted on her confirmed that somebody had tempered with her private organ.
‘We reported the matter to our village head, Mr Joseph Nwegede, who brought the matter to the family law centre,’ Elom said.
Another victim’s parent and grandmother, Mrs Virginia Ebem said the children were seriously injured and called on authorities to take appropriate action against the suspect.
Nwegede disclosed that the act affirmed several reports on the suspect indulging in such acts with minors in the community.
Icha, the suspect denied ever committing any such act, but that he always played with the kids in the area.
‘I only kiss and played with the children not raping them,’ Icha claimed.
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