The Niger State Police Command has detained a 26-year-old security guard, Godwin Dauda, over the alleged defilement and death of an 11-year-old girl in Suleja.
The girl, who was reported missing on Sept. 20 after leaving home for a relative’s birthday ceremony, was later found dead inside a well on the premises of the Apostolic Church in Suleja, where the suspect worked.
According to him, a pastor of the Apostolic Church in Suleja subsequently reported the discovery of a dead body inside a well on the church premises.
He said police officers and officials of the Suleja Local Government Council visited the scene and recovered the body, which was taken to Suleja General Hospital for identification.
“The body was then taken to the Suleja General Hospital, where it was identified as that of the missing girl,” he said.
Also Read: Niger miners return to site after deaths of colleagues
The spokesperson said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect allegedly defiled the girl before disposing of her body in the well.
“The girl’s body was found inside the well within the premises of the Apostolic Church in Suleja, where the suspect works as a security guard,” Abiodun said.
He added that Dauda allegedly fled the area after the body was recovered in an attempt to evade arrest. Police arrested the suspect around Kuje in the Federal Capital Territory at about 8 p.m. on Sept. 23, he said.
Abiodun said Dauda allegedly confessed during interrogation to luring the girl into his security room at the church.
He said the suspect allegedly told investigators that he defiled the girl, after which she died, and that he disposed of her body in the church’s well to conceal the crime.
The spokesperson said the investigation was ongoing and that the suspect would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna for further investigation and possible prosecution.
NAN
