A 70-year-old man, Francis Ezomo, and his two sons, Nosa Ezomo, (26) and Festus Ezomo, (29) have been handed over to the Edo State Command of the Nigeria Police, for allegedly defiling a 9-year-old girl, who is a relative of Mr Francis Ezomo’s wife.
The handing over of the three suspects to the Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo was done by the Edo State government at the Government House, Benin City on Friday.
The acting Chairman of the Edo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Basic Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe, disclosed that the suspects were handed over to the police, after the case was reported to her office by the headmistress of the minor.
“The issue came to the limelight when the headmistress of the minor’s school noticed a change of behaviour in the minor and decided to ask her what the problem was. The nine-year-old girl narrated her ordeal to the headmistress who then informed the Education Secretary of the local government council where the alleged crime took place. We then swung into action and got the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development involved,” Dr. Oviawe said.
The SUBEB boss added that when “we could not get the necessary action required from the Police, the state government swung into action and these three men were apprehended almost immediately.”
She explained that the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has taken custody of the child who is now in a safe place and assured that SUBEB would ensure that her education is not truncated.
“What the men have done is bad and their actions have attempted to destroy the life and future of the minor. The three men took advantage of the child and exposed her to trauma. We have waded into the case to ensure justice prevails,” Oviawe said.
The commissioner of police assured that his men would investigate the allegation and charge the accused to court.
“Scientific investigation for the minor was sent to the hospital and a doctor’s report has shown that her hymen has been broken.
The scientific report has established that the minor was s3xually abused. We will investigate the case and charge them to court,” Kokumo said, and urged parents not to leave the duty of nurturing their children to teachers in schools.
“Nurturing a child is not just the responsibility of the school, both parents and guardians have a lot of roles to play in the proper training of our children,” the police boss said.
