..Family petitions COAS
A soldier, Aliyu Uwarh, attached to 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Effurun, has allegedly raped a 9-year-old girl in Ughelli, Delta State, names withheld.
The family the child, has, meanwhile, accused the leadership 3 Battalion of shielding Aliyu Uwarh, from investigation and prosecution.
A based rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ekpuda, has petitioned the Chief of Army Staff, urging him to urgently address the matter.
Ekpuda in a petition, said all moves to get justice for the rape victim had been frustrated by the leadership 3 Battalion.
Ekpuda is pleading with the Chief of Army Staff to use his office to curb every act of illegality that had necessitated his petition to his office.
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The lawyer in the petition, also copied the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC and National Public Complaint Commission.
The petition read: “The oral briefing of our client reveals, that our clients’ daughter, who is nine years old, was raped by one Aliyu Uwarh, a soldier with the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Effurun, sometime in May 2023.
“Our clients were doing their farm job, at the farm and the victim herein always fetch water for her parents, and in the course of doing their job, the said Aliyu Uwarh (the soldier) captured her, after she fetched water and started molesting her and further beat her up.
“He told her not to tell anyone not even her parents and sometimes, he uses handkerchief to tie her mouth and abuse her.
“Consequently, our clients then noticed that something was wrong with their daughter.
“The mother had to examine her, only to discover that someone has been molesting her daughter and after discussing with her, she opened up that a soldier man named Aliyu Uwarh have been raping her.
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“The father of the victim was later locked up in Army custody for several days.
“On hearing all this, Mrs. Aliubaba, who was seven months pregnant, lost her pregnancy due to the trauma.
“The Commanding Officer of the 3 Battalion of the Nigeria Army, then gave the victim’s mother the sum of N50,000 to forget about the matter.
“After reporting the act/action of the said soldier, the soldier took our clients’ daughter for medical check-up and it was confirmed that she has been molested/abused.
“All effort to reach the Commanding Officer of the 3 Battalion, Major H. Liman proved abortive, the Barracks refused and reject to collect solicitors’ letter to these effect,” the lawyer added.
Ekpuda said that efforts to get court bailiff to serve court processes were rebuffed by the authorities and they had also prevented Police from interrogating the suspect.
