A 38- year- old tricycle rider (Keke Napep), Joseph Akpu, has appeared before a Federal High Court in Enugu for allegedly raping a 10- year-old girl.
The accused, of Achara layout Enugu, is facing a one count charge of rape.
Police Prosecutor, Mr. Moses Onyia, said that the victim’s mother, whose name he did not mention, arranged with the accused to convey the girl from Achara layout Enugu to her school and was being paid N3, 000 per month for the service.
Onyia added that the arrangement the accused entered into with the child’s mother started in September 2012, at Achara layout Enugu.
According to him, “The arrangement was going on until June 2013 when the accused came and picked the victim. Instead of taking her to school he diverted to his house and forced her to bed.
“He threatened to kill her with a knife if she informed either her mother or any other person.”
He claimed that the accused raped her repeatedly from 8 a.m to 1.30 p.m and then took her home, however, at home the victim was behaving strangely, a development that prompted her mother to ask her what was wrong with her.
Afraid for her life she did not tell the mother hence the accused picked her up the next morning the accused picked her and went to his house and started raping her again, the prosecutor said.
Luck ran out of the accused when one of his neighbours noticed what was happening and invited the police who arrested him, pointing out that it was after his arrest that the victim opened up and explained everything to her mother.
Counsel to the accused, Mr. Hillary Aleke, said that his client did not force the victim to the bed, adding that it was an agreement between the victim and the accused.
According to him, “If a girl of 10 years could hide such a thing from her mother it meant that she has been doing it and there was no point suffering my client as he was not the first person that had an agreement affair with a girl.”
Justice Dorathy Agishi adjourned the case until April 7, for hearing.
