70-Year-Old Man Arrested Over Rape Of Minor In Jigawa

A file photo of a Jigawa map.
A file photo of the map of Jigawa, a state in north-west Nigeria.

Police have arrested a 70-year-old man accused of raping a seven-year-old girl in Jigawa State.

The suspect, Ibrahim Nasaleh, is said to have committed the offence in Kiyawa Local Government Area of the state.

Mr Zubairu Ismail, who is the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, confirmed the arrest of Nasaleh to Channels Television on Thursday.

He noted that the suspect was arrested following a complaint lodged by the mother of the victim at a police station.

According to the command’s spokesman, the victim was rushed to the Sexual Assault and Referral Centre in Dutse, the state capital.

He disclosed that the suspect was apprehended by the police at about 1pm on Tuesday in Kiyawa town.

“The arrest was due to a report made by the mother of the victim who lives in Shuwarin Village,  Kiyawa Local Government at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Kiyawa, that the said Ibrahim Nasaleh had carnal knowledge of her daughter who is just seven years of the same address in his house.

“The victim was quickly rushed to Sexual Assault Referral Center, Dutse for medical examination, while the case is still under investigation,” Zubairu said.

Recently, the state governor, Badaru Abubakar, assented to the Violence Against Person Prohibition Law, which approved the death penalty for rapists in Jigawa.