Parents of a 13-year-old student of Etoi Secondary School, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, have cried out for justice in the pathetic case of their son, gang-raped in turns for three years after being hypnotised by a syndicate of six gay men.
However, operatives of the State Police Command, who launched investigations following a tip-off, swooped on the syndicate of ritualists specialising in the illicit gay practice with young male children within the age bracket of 10 and 13 years.
It was learnt the gang noted for their involvement in such illicit practices of sodomy and other unnatural acts of annal sex or homosexual affairs with young boys were successfully tracked, with six of them arrested.
Parading the suspects at the State Police Command Headquarters at Ikot Akpanabia, near Uyo, the state capital, along with others for sundry crimes of kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, vandalisation of public assets and utilities, the commissioner of police (CP), Baba Mohammed Azare, vowed to rid the state of crimes and perpetrators brought to justice.
“Based on information received from concerned journalists, a 13-year-old child reported being raped repeatedly for about three years by different men in sodomy practice.
“The operatives of the command swung into action immediately and arrested, the following suspects: Okwudili Levi Okeke, AKA, Eze, aged 34 years; Idara Itam Daniel, aged 23 years; David Udoh James, aged 23 years; Udofia Edem Udosen, aged 29 years; David Bassey Bassey; aged 26 years; and Daniel Jacob Edet, aged 30 years.
“Investigation revealed that Okwudili Okeke was recruited into sodomy and has had anal sex with several men in the state. This is a crime against humanity and will not be condoned. Suspects will soon be prosecuted after the completion of the investigation,” the CP vowed.
CP Azare, who took over the command late last month, has assured of his commitment to addressing the security challenges facing the state, especially the perennial farmers/herders’ crises and communal and boundary skirmishes.
“We are aware of issues such as Fulani herdsmen encroaching on farms and destroying crops, as well as senseless attacks on Fulani cows by troubleshooters. Let it be clear that the police will not fold their arms and allow miscreants to unleash terror on law-abiding residents,” stressing effective enforcement of the anti-grazing law.
Following rising cases of vandalisation of public transformers and infrastructural facilities across the state, the CP assured that efforts have been stepped up to nip the crime in the bud and arrest the perpetrators.
Consequently, some suspects, including one Prosper Brownson Jim and co – accomplice Uduak Sunday Benson, for vandalisation of a transformer belonging to Sure Foundation Polytechnic at Ikot Akai, in Ukanafun LGA, and recovery of the transformer, transformer oil, armoured cables and charms.
Other items recovered included four fire service trucks stolen by the agency’s officials and taken to neighbouring Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where four suspects were arrested.
“The command moved to recover the said trucks, and further investigation revealed that the fire trucks were leased out to some multinational companies at the rate of N140,000 per truck per day for an initial period of 3 years,” the CP explained.