But for the lockdown imposed by the Federal Government, which restricted interstate movement due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the suspected rapist of a 6 year old girl in Finima, Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State, Hope Chidiebere would have been nowhere near his recent victim.

The suspect, Hope Chidiebere, a home lesson tutor of the victim who hails from Abia State, was reported to have also raped a 4 year old girl and another 8 year old girl at different times in April this year.

He was said to have raped his recent victim in both her private part and her anus and in the process caused her grievous injury.

Public-spirited individuals discovered what happened and rallied round the parents to get the girl to the General Hospital, Bonny, where she was examined and it was confirmed that she was mercilessly raped and violated.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Asawo of Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House in Finima Community, Idatonye Lambert, the community banished him and directed his father to take him out of the community but the interstate travel ban by the federal Government prevented his family from taking him out of the community.

“This guy is an Igbo man, a lesson teacher, sometime in April he attempted to rape an 8 year old baby while teaching her during home lesson. So, when the matter was brought to me and after taking the child to health centre where the doctor confirmed that there was an attempt on the little girl.”

“As community, we resolved to banish him out of our land and told the father to take him out of the community which he agreed to but due to the lockdown which affected interstate travelling he has not taken him out of the community.”

Governors of the 36 states of Nigeria had announced a ban on interstate movement On Thursday, April 23, 2020, due to the spread of the coronavirus disease, though those providing essential services were permitted to cross state boundaries.

The spokesman of the Brown House Asawo further narrated how the suspected rapist violated the hapless minor, saying that he took her from Zone 1 where he met her to the back of Finima Bakery, a distance of over 2 kilometers, to abuse her.

“For this latest one he just committed it was also while teaching home lesson to this 6 year old child. He took the girl from where they are staying to the back of Finima Bakery, imagine such a distance and assault the child both from her vagina and her anus, injured the girl and then he left the child there.”

“But when we discovered that the girl was bleeding through her anus, a Good Samaritan by name Miranda Eric Tay-Brown took the child to the Clinic for proper medical treatment.”

Lambert stated that the suspect was later apprehended by youths of the community and handed over to the Police in Finima for further investigation and subsequent prosecution.

“As I speak to you now, the boy is in the custody of the Finima Police Division, and as community we are following the matter up to ensure that justice is done to the innocent child. And we also assured the family that we will give the child a good treatment because the parents of the child are helpless.”

He declared that the guy will not be allowed to come back to the community any more, warning that the relevant authorities should ensure the needful is done so that the suspected rapist faces the full wrath of the law and the girl gets deserving justice.