A 49-year-old native doctor, simply identified as Ekeneotutu accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Enugu-Ukwu, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State has explained reasons behind the act. The suspect, a friend of the victim’s mother who was arrested by the vigilante group in the area said he started sleeping with the victim when he was asked to marry the girl in place of her treatment bills. He said, “I was giving the girl treatment to cure her of ‘ogbanje’ spirit also known as ‘personality disorder’.

“I started sleeping with the girl when her mother asked me to marry the girl in place of her treatment bills which they could not afford.” Confirming the incident, Executive Director of Davina Care Foundation, Mrs. Rachel Yohanna told The Nation that the case was brought to the foundation by the vigilante group in the area. She said the matter was reported at Nimo Police Station on Dec 21, while the victim was taken to Ntasi Centre for Sexual Assault cases at Enugu-Ukwu General Hospital, where it was confirmed that she was three months pregnant.

She said, “The Enugu-Ukwu vigilante group said they noticed the girl was roaming the area aimlessly. They called her and she narrated that she was sent away by her mother because she was pregnant. The girl told us the native doctor sleeps with her every night and abuses her. During interrogation, the mother of the victim told us she sent the girl back to the man who impregnated her.

“The native doctor, from Nawfia, told us he started sleeping with the girl when her mother asked him to marry the girl in place of her treatment bills which they could not afford.” Yohanna further disclosed that the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further investigation. “The foundation will mobilise support and follow up the case until justice is done,” she added. (The Nation: Excluding headline)

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