Rivers State: Store owner rapes 10-year-old girl to death

The Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, and the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, are joining hands to ensure that a man, identified as Mallam Bashir, who allegedly raped a 10-year-old girl to death in the state is not granted bail until he is tried.

The chairperson of NAWOJ in the state, Lillian Okonkwo, pointed out that efforts were being made by friends and relatives of the suspect to bail him from police custody.

They also alleged that the police was reluctant in arresting the suspect until pressure was mounted on them by NAWOJ and FIDA.

Bashir had reportedly raped the 10-year-old unidentified girl to death when her mother, also unidentified, sent her to buy sachet of milk from Bashir’s kiosk in an estate in the Rumuibekwe area of Port Harcourt, the state capital at about 8pm.

Bashir was said to have grabbed her, forcefully defiled and damaged her systems which led to her death few days later in a private hospital.

Okonkwo said in a statement, “It is unfortunate that she died. But we are appealing that the bail being sought by the relatives of Bashir should not be granted.”