Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) in Adamawa State have arrested a 30-year-old man, Mohammed Babangida, for allegedly raping a 9-year old girl.
There has been rise in cases of rape in the state, a situation that spurred protests in the capital, Yola, penultimate week.
Parading the suspect, the State Commandant of the NSCDC, Nuraddeen Abdullahi, said the suspect was arrested in Damare Ward in Yola following intelligence report.
“The corps arrested one Mohammed Babangida, 30-year-old, resident of Damare Ward Yola town..
“The suspect will be charged to court for prosecution through the intervention and advice of Director of Public Prosecution, Adamawa State Ministry of Justice, which we always partner with on offences requiring prosecution,” the commandant said.
Abdullahi urged the public to always report rape and other abuses to the command, adding that the command has a humanitarian and gender-based violence unit for the handling of such cases.
He also raised concern over the notion in some quarters that NSCDC has no power to prosecute pointing out that the amended Act that set up the corps had given it that power.
“Our Act, 2007 as amended section 3 (1) (f) (i) which reads ‘The corps shall have power to arrest with or without warrant, detain, investigate and institute legal proceeding by or in the name of Attorney-General of the Federation in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria against any person who is reasonably suspected to have committed an offense under this Act or is involve in any criminal activity’. ”
Confirming his involvement, the suspect, Mohammed Babangida, regretted his action and pleaded for leniency.
He confessed that it was his first time of doing it and would never do it again.
“I want to beg for forgiveness as a married man with children based in Bauchi; I don’t want this shameful thing to wreck my family,” he said.
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