A family court sitting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, has arraigned Mr. Ikenna Unegbu, Acting state Coordinator of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), for allegedly defiling a two-year old girl in his office.
The incident which allegedly occurred on February, 5 2020, in Unegbu’s office at NIMC, Imo State has triggered outrage among staff of the commission and the larger Owerri city.
Chinonye Obioma, mother of the victim, who is also the complainant, had told the court that her daughter was defiled on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, by Unegbu when he took the child from the mother on the guise of consoling her after her mother scolded her for pouring water around the office.
She said, “My daughter went into the office twice with biscuits and groundnuts, only to come out from the coordinator’s office the third time crying.”
The complainant explained that she discovered the abnormal movement and posture of her baby after she urinated on their way home.
“When I asked her what happened, she mentioned that Uncle Police (the suspect) removed her pant, and put his stick (penis) inside her bumbum. I went home in tears, seeing reddish, swollen vagina, remains of sperms, tissue paper gummed on her private parts.
“I called the Oga Ikenna (suspect) to enquire what he did with my daughter, and he harshly denied knowledge of the incident,” she told the court.
Obioma, who owns a photography stand within the commission, added that the next day on February 6, she took her baby to the Federal Medical Center, Owerri and Police Hospital to carry test on her daughter, and the doctors confirmed through medical reports that the two-year-old girl’s hymen was broken.
She told the court that the medical reports showed that the baby sustained a serious injury after her abuser had penetrated her.
The court presided over by Odionyenma, magistrate; ruled that the suspect be granted bail to rearrange on Thursday, March 19, 2020.
The magistrate explained that the constitution gives protection to both the complainant and the accused, insisting that evidence would be properly weighed to ensure justice was served.
Meanwhile, various civil societies groups such as the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDAs), Child’s Protection Network (CPN), Virgin Heart Foundation, Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Gender and Vulnerable Groups amongst others have shown interest towards ensuring justice for the little girl. NATION
