In the Yelwa neighbourhood of Bauchi city, a thirteen-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted and left half-dead was discovered in a traumatised state and in great pain.
The victim, who has Down syndrome, lost her mother when she was a little child, and her father's whereabouts are still unknown. She has been living with her elderly, widowed grandfather.
Dawopda John, a representative of the Neighborhood Watch, Yelwa Division, informed reporters that his group called the police after discovering the girl outside an unfinished building without her dress.
He said: “We found her around some minutes past 7:00 am. She was sitting outside without a dress. We asked her series of questions but she could not talk but appeared to hear what people were saying.
“I called some people to help me ask the girl why she was sitting in front of an uncompleted building without wearing clothes. When we discovered that she was traumatized, we alerted (our) members and called the commander to call the DPO Yelwa division.
“Fortunately, we got the DPO who sent some personnel and took the girl into protective custody for further investigation. Based on assessment, we are suspecting a rape case but we can’t ascertain that yet.
“On her skirt there appeared to be sign of drops of sperm or something like that, and the bruises on her neck showed something happened to her.”
Yohanna Isla, the programme manager for the NGO "Child Is Gold," told Arewa Voice that the girl was transferred to a hospital with police approval, where a doctor confirmed that she had been raped.
“On that Monday morning, we got a call from someone who knows our work and we all went there to see for ourselves. When we got there, we joined the police who were already there to their station. So we demanded that the police accompany us to her house.
“We discovered she was living with her grandfather who has lost his wife. He told us that the girl’s mother is late and that her father’s whereabouts is unknown. So we got his permission and that of the police and took her to the hospital where a doctor confirmed that the victim was raped and beaten. She was given drugs as a precautionary measure for anything that might come as a result of the rape,” he explained.
However, the police spokesman of Bauchi Command, Ahmed Wakil, said he could not confirm whether the girl was raped, stressing that he got a report that the girl usually runs away from home.
His words: “When I got the report, I sent our men to the scene. Incidentally, immediately the girl came to the station, the DPO sighted her and recognised her. She is an imbecile. What usually happens is that she leaves the house without the consent of her parents.
“I was not there (at the police station) and I did not see any (drop) of sperm but what I have given is the report that the DPO sent to me. But I want you to interview the father. If you feel you are concerned enough about the girl, call back and I will confirm the story.” Arewa Voice called her ‘father’ on phone with the number that was given by the police spokesman, but the owner of the number did not pick his phone.