The Anambra State government has called for justice for a 16-year-old girl who alleges she was raped by eight men, including her guardian, in Nawfia, Njikoka Local Government Area. The case was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Esther Onyekesi, during a press interaction on Thursday in Awka. According to Onyekesi, a priest from Nawfia reported the case and presented a medical report confirming the teenager is two months pregnant. She described the girl as severely traumatized and emphasized the ministry's responsibility to protect her.
Onyekesi condemned the betrayal by adults entrusted with safeguarding young people, particularly in cases of sexual exploitation. The teenager recounted that her guardian forced himself on her nightly, after which other men joined in the abuse. With the help of a Good Samaritan, she was rescued from the situation a week ago and taken to the commissioner's office. She said the wife of her guardian is ill with stroke, and their children are grown and married. The girl confirmed that the police have arrested two of the eight suspects. The case is currently at the Nawfia police station.
The commissioner speaks out only after a priest brought the case forward, not when the abuse was happening nightly under a guardian's roof. The girl lived with the man for an unknown period while the state's protection systems failed to intervene. Two arrests have been made, but six alleged perpetrators remain at large. The delay in action raises questions about how many similar cases go unseen until someone outside the system steps in.
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