By: Gbenga Akingbule
Borno State Police Command, on Thursday, paraded a 35- year old Man, Mohammed Bukar for allegedly raping four girls in a day in Biu Local Government Area of the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that two of the minors are reported to be 11 years old while two others are 12 years old each.
Bukar who confess to the act while speaking to reporters at the Police Headquarters during the end-of-year press conference in Maiduguri, the state capital, pleaded that the authorities should tender justice with mercy.
The state Commissioner of Police, CP Abdu Umar told reporters that a total of 102 cases of rape were recorded in 2022 alone which includes Bukar’s.
Rape cases, mostly of young girls in Borno state have continued to remain a hard nut to crack despite concerted efforts by relevant stakeholders, but the Police say more successes are being recorded in its bid to tackle the menace.
CP Umar stated that the Police Command is not only charging most of the rape cases to court but has continued to secure the conviction of many perpetrators.
“Indeed the Police are doing better. Ours is to ensure diligent prosecution of these culprits, I don’t think there’s a single case of rape that will come here and be prosecuted that we don’t secure a conviction,” he said while adding that “we still have some suspects in custody.”
Bukar, a tailor who lives in Gandamari area of Biu town had lured two girls, both 11 years old into his shop at about 6 am where he allegedly raped them and handed them some money.
Later on the same day, the girls intimated two of their other friends who are 12 years old each and they quickly made their way to Bukar’s shop where they were also allegedly raped after which Bukar gave them money just like he did to the first set of girls. He was however arrested after the parents of the girls reported the matter to the Police.
“I was in my shop before two girls came to meet me and told me that they needed money to buy something and we agreed that I should give them N200 after I must have touched them. I touched them and gave them N200 each.
“They (girls) went to inform their two other friends who later came to my shop at about 5 pm on the same day before I replicated what I did to the first set. I just plead for mercy and I promise never to do such again.”
Meanwhile, the Police also recorded over five hundred cases within 2022, which include “200 cases of Terrorism 57cases of Culpable Homicide, 22 cases of Armed Robbery, 30 cases of Kidnapping,11 cases of Vandalization, 28 cases of Drugs,138 cases of Theft, 7 Cases involving 12 suspects from APC and 2 suspects from PDP for Inciting disturbance, threatening any person with violence during a political campaign.”
