Church Worker Rapes 14-year-old Girl in Church Premises – Official

 

A man in Anambra State, South-east Nigeria, has allegedly raped and impregnated a 14-year-old girl in the state.

The suspect, James Rich, 31, hails from Cross Rivers State but resides in Awka, Anambra State capital.

Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, a media aide to the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Ify Obinabo, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Ms Ikeanyionwu said the suspect was arrested by police operatives in the state after the commissioner contacted them for assistance.

‘I usually rape and pay her every Sunday in the church’

Ms Ikeanyionwu said Mr Rich works as a yardman at Saint Michaels and All Angels Anglican Church Ifite Awka in Awka South Local Government Area of the state.

The suspect, who is married with two kids, resides within the church premises where he works.

The media aide to the commissioner said the suspect confessed during interrogation that he raped and impregnated the teenager

Mr Rich, during the interrogation, explained that he usually raped the girl every Sunday at the church premises, adding that he had slept with the victim about three times, according to the statement.

The suspect added that he usually gave the victim N200 to buy biscuits each time he slept with her.

Ms Ikeanyionwu said the suspect pleaded for forgiveness, claiming that it was the first time he committed such a crime.

The survivor (name withheld) said the suspect usually raped her every Sunday morning before the church’s 6 a.m. service, according to the statement.

Commissioner reacts

Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare in the state, Mrs Obinabo, warned men to stop raping women, especially minors as the Anambra State Government does not tolerate such acts.

The commissioner, who spoke through her Special Assistant, Blessing Nweke, assured that the case would be charged to court immediately to get justice for the victim.

Nigeria, in 2015, enacted the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, which outlawed all forms of violence against women and girls, including rape, female circumcision and forceful ejection.

Offenders, on conviction, face life imprisonment or a maximum of 14-year jail term, depending on the age of the offender and the type of violence committed.

Several persons accused of rape have been convicted by various courts.

An Ado-Ekiti High Court, in July 2022,  sentenced a 49-year-old man, Dele Adeyanju, to four years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

A Bauchi High Court, in 2017, sentenced two middle-aged men to life in prison for raping a 40-year-old woman and plucking her eyes.

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