By Kamsi Anayo
Two vigilantes in Anambra state have been arrested for trying to defile a 12-year-old girl at Nkutaku area of Okpoko in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
The suspects, whose identities were not yet disclosed are helping the police at the Okpoko Police Division.
It was gathered that the the victim hails from the Guyuk Local Government Area of Adamawa State, but lives on the Obodoukwu Road near Atani road.
A police source at the Okpoko Police Division told our correspondent that, while the two minors were walking along the street going to lock-up the shop, the two vigilante operatives, fully armed with machetes and pump action guns accosted them, intimidating and subjecting them to instant fear.
It was, however, gathered that after taking the minors to an abandoned structure on Obodoukwu Road, the suspects told the little boy to go home and bring N1,000 to bail themselves for wandering at that time of the night.
“The purpose of asking the little boy to go home to bring the money was to leave them alone with the helpless girl in order to accomplish their mission.
” Luck ran out on the suspects when the boy returned to their residence and narrated how they were hurriedly taken away by the security operatives, which prompted the girl’s father, identified as Mr Lee Bibamde, a trader, to immediately call for a rescue team in search of the missing girl.
“Bibamde, with the assistance of another vigilante operative and some elders were taken to the scene where they met the victim fully naked.”
Speaking the victim’s father said , “My daughter was naked. They had stripped her tight. In fact, she was fully naked. The other operative was somewhere keeping watch for his colleague so that he could take his own turn of my daughter from the confession made by them.”
A police source said, “The commander of the vigilante outfit did a wonderful job by arresting the suspects and subsequently handing them over to the police for prompt action. The matter is being investigated and may be charged to court on Thursday this week.”
While confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer( PPRO) Tochukwu Ikenga, said the two suspects were in the police custody and would be charged to court at the end of investigation.