Man, 36, Allegedly Rapes 18-Yr-Old Girl to Death

Police in Bayelsa State have arrested a man, aged 36, for allegedly raping to death an 18-year-old girl in Otuoke, Ogbia Local Government Area of the state. Though the police, it was learnt, were yet to get the autopsy report on the deceased, the suspect, according to sources from the community, was nabbed in the early hours of yesterday, while trying to disposed off the deceased's corpse. A close friend to the alleged rapist, said that the accused, identified as an Isoko indigene from Delta State, was trying to help the girl before she died in his house. The suspect, community sources said, resides in an uncompleted building owned by his boss, an indigene of Otuoke. Preliminary investigation by the police, it was learnt, showed that the suspect was arrested with the naked and dead body of the girl. A community source said the suspected rapist was apprehended by an officer of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC. She said: "We saw the civil defence officer dragging the suspect and shouting that he has raped a girl to death. "The suspect, while pleading his innocence, said he stumbled on the deceased while she was in pains. "He told the crowd that the girl told him that she took poison due to frustrations she had been experiencing in her life. "He said attempt to rescue the girl led to a good Samaritan giving them N5,000 for treatment. "He claimed he took the girl to a health centre but no one was on duty. And that he then took her home to allow her rest and prepare for another visit to a bigger clinic in the morning. But that she died in the night." Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, confirmed the development, saying investigation was ongoing. He said: "The suspect has been arrested and transferred to the state police headquarters for further investigation, while the corpse of the victim had been deposited at the Kolo General Hospital."