BY Nziwu Uchechi
A local vigilante in Aluu community, Ikwerre local government area of Rivers State, OSPAC, has arrested Mr Mgbechi Wekwe, a security personnel attached to Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumulomeni, Rivers state who is wanted by the police on allegation of abduction and defilement of a 16 year old girl.
Confirming the arrest, Mrs Kindness Edwin, mother of the alleged defilement survivor, explained that based on credible intelligence the suspect was arrested by OSPAC close to her daughter’s work place in Aluu on Thursday.
She said the suspect was coming back from his work place when he was arrested.
Mrs Edwin called on the Police to ensure justice on the matter.
The Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, which has been calling for the arrest of the suspect, commended OSPAC for its action.
The Coordinator of the group, Prince Wiro in a statement on Friday said the announcement of the arrest confirms the position of the organization that the suspect had been reporting to duty contrary to the claims by his employers.
The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Ngozi Okiridu had claimed is a statement during the week that the suspect stopped coming to work.
Mr Wiro then called on the police to ensure a thorough investigation into the matter with a view to serving justice to all the parties involved.
Sources said OSPAC handed over the suspect to Inspector General of Police (IGP) monitoring unit in Aluu, while efforts are on to transfer the suspect to Aluu Divisional Police headquarters were the matter was reported.
Mrs Edwin had lodged a complaint that Wekwe and some boys forcefully abducted the girl, who is his step daughter, at Aluu and she was taken to Rumuakunde in Emohua LGA where she was defiled.
She also said the suspect, who is a security personnel at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education Rumulomeni,Obio/Akpor Local Government area of Rivers State, threatened to kill her if she exposed him.
According to Mrs Edwin, the 60-year-old suspect took the action as a result of her refusal to marry him.
‘The man promised to marry me and we started living together until he started making attempts to sleep with my two under- age daughters. I packed out because of the incident but, after much pleading and threats from him, I later came back but it continued,” she said.
Mrs Edwin, who is a widow, said the suspect asked her hand in marriage but when she saw that she was no longer comfortable with his character she opted out of the marriage deal.
“The man threatened to kill me for opting out of the marriage deal and accused my daughter of being the reason I opted out of the marriage deal,” she said.
Mrs Edwin then reported the case to a human rights group, Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability.
The group’s coordinator, Prince Wiro had previously expressed worry that the suspect had remained free, especially after he reportedly called the mother of the alleged rape survivor to inform her the school where he works will not hand him over to the police as he enjoys the protection and love of some highly placed individuals in the university.