Armed herdsmen rape teenager to coma in Nasarawa

Armed herdsmen have raped a 14-year-old girl in the Kwarra community of Wamba Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. Daily Trust learnt that the development is causing high tension in Kwarra community.

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A source from the community informed our correspondent that the suspected herders, who were armed with machetes, cutlasses, sticks and other dangerous objects, invaded the residence of their victim, on Monday night and forcefully took her to a bush in the area where she was raped to a state of unconsciousness.

The source said, “Three gunmen said to be herders came to the victim’s abode and forcefully took her to a bush where they gang-raped her till she passed out. They were held knives and sharp objects capable of killing a person. The assailants stabbed and raped her to unconsciousness. It is a sad situation as she couldn’t get any assistant to save her from the hands of the hooligans while the immoral act was carried out.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa state command, DSP Ramhan Nansel, who confirmed the incident to journalists on Wednesday in Lafia, the state capital, narrated that two herdsmen had been apprehended in connection to the crime.

The PPRO said, “What happened in Kwarra community of Wamba LGA is indeed a sad situation. The girl was at her family house on Monday night when two herdsmen, who are residents of the community namely; Umar Shehu ‘M’, 19 years, and Dare Bello ‘M’, 18 years, went to their house and took her to a bush where she was gang-raped.

“The herdsmen were armed with cutlasses and sticks, and they were able to carry out the act because the girl’s father was sick and there was no other person to help her at that time. But as soon as the information got to the police, we quickly deployed our personnel to go rescue the girl and apprehend the perpetrators of the act.

“When our officers got to the scene of the crime, the girl was immediately taken to a hospital for treatment and based on the available information at my disposal; two herdsmen have been arrested in connection to the crime.”

He, however, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Mr Adesina Soyemi, had directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Lafia, for further investigation, after which the suspects would be charged to court for prosecution to serve as a deterrent to others.