By Abimbola Ogunnaike
A 39-year-old man, Sunday Ejeh, is now cooling off in Edo State police cell for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl and offering her N600
The suspect was said to have lured the victim to his room, had sexual intercourse with her and then offered her money after the act.
It was gathered that the incident happened in the Ugbogi community in Ighobazuwa, the Ovia North West Local Government Area of the state and was reported to the police.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the incident on Sunday, 11 June, 2023 while addressing with newsmen.
“An investigation carried out by the Gender Unit of the command’s Criminal Investigation Department revealed that the suspect has a criminal tendency of assembling young girls between two and nine years, and having sexual intercourse with them,” Nwabuzor said.
The police spokesman added that the suspect, at the end of the crime, would give his victims N600 to take home.
In an interview with newsmen, Ejeh said he only had sexual intercourse with the said nine-year-old girl sometime in January and had not done the same to any other girl in the area.
“The incident happened in January when this girl came to my house and asked that I should give her money and have sexual intercourse with her.
“I said no but she said if I refused to do it, she will shout that I wanted to rape her. So, I agreed and after sleeping with her, I gave her N1, 500 and she left,” Ejeh said.
According to the suspect, the community youths seized him last week when he came back from the farm and started beating him that he raped the girl and later took him to the police station.