INSIDE ABIA: Allege Serial R@pist Remanded In Prison, As Young Victims Recount Experience | WATCH VICTIMS’S TESTIMONIES + PHOTOS
Women of Ohokobe Ndume Community in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, on Tuesday stormed the Abia state High Court requesting for justice over an alleged serial rapis-t, One Mr Chimezie Peter Awomukwu, aged 63.
The women alleged that for over 20 years, Mr Awomukwu has been defiling children aged between 7 and 10 years and have become a terror in the community as he arrests residents whenever he is arrested for his alleged crime and released on bail.
The suspect also threatens to kil-l his victims and their family if they open up to anybody.
Speaking to ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER (AFNEWS), one of the victims aged 15 (name withheld), said Mr Awomukwu ra-ped her when she was 8 years old. He had asked her to buy bread for him, on return, the suspect asked her to bring it into his room where he forcefully had sex-ual intercourse with her in 2015.
Speaking also, a 10-year-old brother of the victim mentioned above, said the suspect, rap-ed him in 2023. According to the teenager, his mother sent him on an errand when the suspect saw him and asked him to go and buy matches for him.
“I went to call my brother when the man saw me and asked me to go and buy matches for him. After I bought it and brought it inside his house, he threw me on the bed and removed my knicker. I was shouting but nobody heard me. I told Chair lady” he said.
A female victim, now aged 14, said she was ra-ped in 2016 when she went to help the suspect’s mother with house chores.
“I went to their house to help the mother with house chores, the women was not around. The man give me N100 and asked me to buy groundnut for him. After I bought it, he asked me to come inside which I did while he asked my younger sister to wait for me outside. He asked me to keep it on his bed, when I tried to do that, he forcefully removed my pant and ra-ped me. He is the one that dis-virgined me. I was shouting and my sister ran away and called my daddy who came and met me outside crying. He reported to Dee Chimezie’s mother and she slapped him and me too”.
“He warned me that he will ki-ll my parents and I if I told it to anyone. I am here to testify today after so many years because he also ra-ped my 9 year old brother this year” she narrated.
Speaking to ALL FACTS NEWSPAPER (AFNEWS), the Ohokobe community women leader, Mrs Nnenna Ogwelo, said Awomukwu’s incessant cases of rap-ing minors became a problem to the community as minors started engaging in sex-ual acts which they blamed on the suspect who is also accused of also rap-ing other boys including a grand child in his family.
“this man has been molesting our children sex-ually for over years. He picks indigent people, people who do not even have money for transportation talk more of going to the police. He even abuses siblings. Once he does it and anyone tries to do anything, he will be the first to call the police and police will come and arrest you and no matter what you tell them, the police will make sure you are not released on bail. In the village nobody would want to use the money he will use for feeding to do police case, so most times when he abuses children, nothing is done” she stated.
On her own part, Mrs Onyinyechi Joy Nwosu, the Head, Child Protection Network, Abia State emphasized on the importance of protecting children and ensuring that they get Justice. She noted that the matter was brought to the notice of her office last week Thursday and they have taken up the matter. She urged rap-e victims to always speak up.
Meanwhile, His Worship, P.A. Gabriel in charge of magistrate court 3 on Tuesday, refused to grant the bail application file by Awomukwu’s counsel but remanded the accused at Afara Correctional Centre.
The matter was adjourned till September 26, October 12 and 19 for hearing..
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO TESTIMONIES HERE:
SEE PHOTOS BELOW:
