By Nicholas Ojo
A 21-year-old man, Augustine Akor, has been arrested for allegedly raping and murdering a teenage girl, identified as Faith Akuji, said to be his relative, in Enugu State.
It was learnt that the 21-year-old suspect, had allegedly raped the 16-year-old victim on June 8, and strangled her to death in a bush at Mpole-Ubere in the Ette community to cover-up the crime.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Daniel Ndukwe, noting that the suspect was arrested on June 12, 2023, by its operatives serving in Igbo-Eze North Division of the Command, with assistance from Neighbourhood Watch Group at about 9.30 am.
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Preliminary investigation, according to the statement, revealed that the victim had gone missing in the evening hours of June 8, after her grandfather sent her to grind cassava in the community centre, with all efforts made to trace her whereabouts proving abortive.
The statement reads; “Her decomposing body was, however, found in the bush, following the arrest of the suspect, who confessed to having dragged the victim into the bush, forcefully had carnal knowledge of her, until she fainted and died in the process.
“The victim’s remains, found without any lower-body cloth, were evacuated to the hospital and confirmed dead by doctors on duty.
The case is undergoing further investigation at the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.
The police described the murder as atrocious and unthinkable while consoling the family and friends of the deceased victim.
“The commissioner has directed that the case be meticulously handled and concluded within recorded time, and the suspect charged to court for justice to be dispensed accordingly,” the statement added.