A 27-year-old man in Ebonyi State, Nzubechukwu Odo, has been arrested for raping secondary school students.

The suspect, who hails from Obollo Etiti in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, is said to have been raping secondary school students of Ebonyi State University (EBSU) Staff School.

Odo operates from Igbokwe Street, Abakaliki, where he resides with his family members.

He was apprehended at the weekend by staff and students of the school after he sneaked into an uncompleted hostel in the school where he raped an SS1 student.

Luck ran out on the suspect when he returned to the school the following day to target another girl, not knowing that some students who saw him flee the previous day had spotted him.

Two teachers in the school, Mrs Jennifer and Mr Tony Agbam, said the suspect came into the school through the porous fence and hid inside an uncompleted hostel where he raped the SS1 female student when she went to ease herself.

It was gathered that the victim raised the alarm after much struggle with the suspect, which led to his arrest.

During interrogation, the suspect confessed to raping the SS1 female student in addition to another one he had also violated in the past.

The school principal, Mr Fidelis Ozibo, described the incident as devastating but attributed it to the porosity of the school premises.

However, a female student said they go outside the premises because the school lacked functional toilets.

Her male counterparts said there had been several cases of rape within and outside the school and called on the government to take urgent steps to secure the school environment.

An elder brother of the victim, Mr Harrison Elom, said she was receiving medical attention in hospital and appealed to the government to ensure diligent prosecution of the suspect.

It took the intervention of the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Michael Awoke, to save the suspect from being lynched by angry mobs as he ordered his security aides to ensure that he was driven in the school van to security agencies in the state.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu, confirmed the arrest of the suspect, stating that the suspect was apprehended on Friday, 21 November, following a report of the incident.

“The suspect is presently in our custody undergoing interrogation as investigations continue,” Ukandu said.

He reiterated the command’s zero-tolerance stance on sexual violence and urged members of the public to desist from all forms of rape while collectively protecting the girl-child. (The Sun)