HOW ROBBERS RAPED 35-YEAR-OLD IN HUSBAND’S PRESENCE

Residents of Ogida
quarters in Benin City were shocked last Saturday when they woke to see a house
wife (names withheld) shouting and pleading for help.

They rushed to the house only to discover that the woman was raped
by three young men who stormed the house at about 3am.

They further discovered the victim’s husband who was tied by the
robbers and pushed  under the bed. Saturday Vanguard learnt that the
suspects Peter Anigboro (25 years old), Lucky Williams (22) and Olise Friday,
forced the door of the residence of the victim open with an impoverished gun
and a dagger.

The suspects
immediately went for the husband, whom they tied his legs and hands after which
he was pushed under the bed.

After taking care of the husband, they went for the wife whom
Saturday Vanguard learnt was their original target. It was gathered that the
robbers have been monitoring her movement for some days before they struck last
Saturday.

It was learnt that they requested her to declare the money she
sold that day from her recharge card which she quickly obliged.

The robbers further requested for recharge cards, hand sets and
other valuables. While they were threatening, the victim pleaded that they
should not kill her. But to her greatest shock, they pounced on her and started
undressing her warning that she will be killed if she tried to resist them.

The leader of the gang, Peter Anikoro was the first to rape her
and while he was doing that, his mask pulled off and that was when the victim
saw the face of her attacker.

Peter is a neighour who resides in the opposite building. However,
after taking his turn, others followed suit.

As if the suspects were destined to meet their waterloo that same
day, they attacked another house around that same Ogida quarters where they met
a 60 year-old woman and attempted to rape her too. The woman pleaded with them,
and though she was not raped, they fiddled with her private part and carted
away hand sets and cash from the house.

Luck ran out with the rampaging robbers when Peter took other
members of the gang to his uncle’s house at Siluko road to rob. Unfortunately
for them, they could not gain access to the house due to the protector.

But through the window, they were able to cart away a hand set.
But some body spotted them and raised an alarm which attracted the attention of
members of the vigilante group in the area. They gave the robbers a hot chase
and with the arrival of policemen on patrol, they were apprehended.

The Assistant Public Relations Officer of the state Command, ASP
Ahwara Ejiroro, who paraded the suspects last Monday, said they confessed to
have been involved in several robbery operations and have raped several other
women in the past.

According to him, “they operate with impoverish guns and daggers
and their victims will think they have a real gun while they also threaten with
the daggers.

As if what they did that same night was not enough, Peter who is
the leader of the gang took them to his uncle’s house to rob and that was where
they were apprehended. They will be charged to court for rape and armed
robbery”.

Leader of the gang Peter, confessed to Saturday Vanguard: “I don’t
have a job so what I did that day was to call two of my friends and told them
that we are going to operate that night. We met around 9pm in a palmwine joint
close to the house.

We moved to the place around 3am when everybody had gone to bed.
We were monitoring her movement from the wine bar”.

Asked why they decided to rape the victim, Peter said “it was
devil’s work. We did not know when we did it”.

When asked why they could not rape the 60- year woman, their
second victim, he explained that “she was crying and begging us. So we felt
sorry for her. We only fingered her and left the house”.

In another development, the police in Benin also arrested a 73
year old grand father for using a kitchen knife to stab to death a 27 year old
man, Gabriel Amayahu Aigbosuria. The suspect, Williams Omobude Uwadia was
arrested at the scene of crime shortly after the alleged murder.

Saturday Vanguard learnt that the suspect had earlier in the day
had a disagreement with the deceased following which he went to the nearest
police Division in Benin City to effect his arrest, a situation which made the
police to follow him for the arrest, but unknown to them that he had a kitchen
knife on him. As the policemen were trying to mediate on the matter, the
suspect was alleged to have suddenly brought a knife and stabbed the 27 year
old man.

The complainant then turned accused as he was arrested by the
police and transferred to the state CID, Benin for further investigation.

Ejiroro who expressed shock over the incident confirmed the arrest
and said the state police homicide section was already investigating the
murder case, just as he assured that the police will get to the root of the
matter.

Meanwhile, the state House of Assembly has called on the Inspector
General of Police to appoint a substantive Commissioner of Police in the state
with a view to help curb crime in the state.

The Majority Leader of the House, Philip Shuaibu, who reiterated
this call to Saturday Vanguard, shortly after the abduction of the lawmaker
representing Esan Central constituency, Mr Victor Edora, lamented that the
state needs a substantive CP to be able to fight crime head on.

Acording to him, “we are not happy that each day people are
kidnapped or robbed in different parts of the country.

There have been incessant robbery operations along the by-pass and
it seems the police is helpless about it. We are appealing to the IG of Police
to assist us because we need an effective policing of the entire state to be
able to check crime effectively”.