A 62-year-old man, Adamu Danga Rijau has been arrested by operatives of the Nigerian Police in Niger state for allegedly defiling a 6-year-old girl in Minna the Niger state capital.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, by the spokesperson of the command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, noted that an eyewitness who raised the alarm, caught the suspect raping the minor inside a cemetery.
It was learned that the suspect, who fled from the scene, was chased and caught by a group of residents.
Abiodun further said that the suspect attributed the reason for committing the crime to alcohol, claiming he was under the influence of the palm wine he had drank on his way home from the farm.
The statement noted in parts; “On 30/1/2024 at about 2100hrs, information was received at Bosso Div that, on the same date at about 1800hrs, one Adamu Danga Rijau aged 62yrs of Bosso Lowcost area of Minna was sighted around Numui cemetery without trousers, on top of a minor girl of about 6yrs of age, while the suspect took to his heels from the spot”.
The statement added that before the Police Division could mobilize to the scene, it was reported that an alarm was raised by the witness. A situation that led to the arrest of the suspects by the mob.
It was learnt that the suspect has since been taken to Bosso Division where a preliminary investigation was conducted and the case, later transferred to SCID Minna.
Meanwhile, during the interrogation, the suspect confessed to having lured the victim to the cemetery area, while she was sent on an errand by her mother adding that he sexually assaulted the minor girl due to intoxication.
The statement went further; “He claimed that he drank some quantity of palm wine that he bought on his way home from the farm, and that he was under the influence of the palm wine before committing the act.
“Meanwhile, the victim was taken to the Police clinic for a medical examination, as the case is under investigation and the suspect will be arraigned in court for prosecution immediately after the conclusion of investigation processes.”