Corps member absconds after defiling 12-year-old pupil in Bayelsa

A member of the National Youth Service Corps attached to the Asamabiri Community Primary School in Asamabiri community, Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, Jonathan Ogbe, has allegedly defiled a 12-year-old pupil of the school and abandoned from the state.

It was gathered that the 31-year-old with NYSC call up no: NYSC/ABU/2020/113131, abandoned service and has since refused to pick up his discharge certificate to avoid being de-kitted and handed over to the Police for investigation.

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The incident, which occurred last September is however provoking members of the Civil Society groups, Gender-based advocacy groups and indigenes of the community over the alleged “foot-dragging” of the gender unit of the Bayelsa Police Command to effect the arrest, investigation and prosecution of the accused corps member.

The accused corps member was said to have lured the 12-year-old girl and defiled her repeatedly without the knowledge of the parents.

According to the father of the victim, Nelson Gbaranbiri, his wife brought his attention to some strange discharge found in the panties of his daughter while doing her laundry.

He said, “My wife brought my attention to the stains and discharges she usually finds in the panties of my daughter. When I asked about what happened to her private part, she told me that ‘uncle’ will beat her.”

Gbaranbiri also claimed that when he reported the matter to the police in Sagbama, they did not show concern about the incident.

He claimed, “They asked me to arrest the accused and bring him to the station. They even demanded that I pay them before they can drive down to arrest the suspect. I also met with the NYSC, they were also indifferent.”

Reacting, the State Gender Response Initiative Team (GRIT) chairperson, Dise Ogbise, confirmed receiving the petition and assured to reach out to the state police command for more updates.

The NYSC spokesman in the state, Mathew Ngobua, said, “The accused has abandoned the service and all his numbers and that of his next of kin are not reachable. He has not even picked up his discharge certificate for service.”