Two men, suspected to be in their seventies, have allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl in Akwa-Ibom State.
The first suspect said the 14-year-old was his wife whom he met in the market and married, adding that the girl moved in with him.
He however, said his friend of the same age bracket was also having sex with the girl whenever he was not home.
Both friends were said to have slept with the victim until a heated argument ensued between them which led to a neighbour getting to know.
It was the neighbour who reported the matter to the police station, leading to the arrest of the two friends.
According to the neighbor, who preferred to be unnamed, “I was shocked to overhear two old men arguing about sex with a 14-year-old girl. The one that the girl stayed with accused his friend of always sneaking in to sleep with the girl any time he went out.
“I was worried with that and I decided to report them to the police. But the issue is that some boys, who said they were from the area, are threatening to deal with me if I don’t withdraw the case from the police.”
However, the prime suspect had denied raping the girl but insisted that the girl was his wife.
He said, “I did not rape the girl. She is my wife. I saw her in a village market, I talked to her and she agreed to follow me to my house and be my wife. But it was my friend who always came to have sex with her each time I went out.”
It was gathered that the victim was already pregnant without knowing the particular man responsible for the pregnancy.
Meanwhile the police said they were making efforts to trace the family of the girl, adding that the victim had been taken to a home run by Family Enhancement and Youths Reorientation Project (FEYReP), pet project of the wife of the governor, Martha Udom Emmanuel.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Odiko MacDon said the case would be charged to court.
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