A 51-year-old indigene of Isuofia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, Unegbu Chika, has been arrested by the State Police Command for defiling his 14-year-old domestic help.

According to The PUNCH, the security operatives arrested the suspect on Saturday after an informant reported the case to the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

The suspect, a transporter who plies the Ekwulobia-Oko route while answering questions from the security operatives, confessed to defiling the girl and pleaded for pardon, noting that he was “tempted by the devil”.

Hailing from Owerri but resident at Isiaku in Isuofa Imo State, the suspect also said, “The act was due to the death of my wife, and it’s a mistake which I regret deeply.”

The victim, however, said she started living with the man in 2018 when she was eight years old, and shortly after, in 2019, he started defiling her.

She said, “He usually has his way during weekends and holiday periods, but he became more at ease with the act after the death of his wife.

“I did not raise the alarm because he always told me to keep it a secret, and ever since then, I have been keeping it that way till help came.”

The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, reacting immediately after interviewing the suspect, expressed gratitude to Isuofia People’s Assembly leadership for their prompt response in arresting the suspect before the arrival of security operatives.

Obinabo declared that defilement and rape crimes would not be condoned in the state while calling on the citizens of the state to be vigilant for any suspicious act, movement or otherwise and report to the appropriate authority.

She vowed that the state government would not hesitate to take decisive action.

As of the time of this report, the suspect has been handed over to the police for further investigation and, consequently, to be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender Based Violence Magistrate Court in Awka while the victim will undergo medical examination.

A spokesperson for the State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga, when contacted, confirmed the arrest of the suspect, explaining that the investigation had begun, noting that the suspect would be charged to court when the investigation is completed.