Police nab suspected serial rapist at Bannex
Men of the FCT police command, Saturday, at Banex Plaza, Wuse II, Abuja, arrested a Compact Disc (CD) retailer suspected to be a serial rapist.
The suspect was alleged to have raped many women, strangling and injuring some of his victims in the process.
A police source said at about 2100 hours, a 16-year-old girl (name withheld) reported at Maitama Police Division with her father that she left her house located around Banex Plaza, Wuse II, to buy some things when she was accosted by the suspect, who resides at Federal Housing Estate, Nyanya, Abuja. The source told our reporter that the suspect told the girl that his boss wanted to talk to her, promising that the boss was going to give her money and anything she wanted.
“The girl replied that she has all she needs because her father always provides for her. He persisted but she refused to listen to him. He then pretended as if he had gone but went and hid in between parked vehicles. As she tried to find her way home, he still went back to her and then threatened her and took her to a nearby bush around the axis, raped her and collected her phone,” the source said.
The police source added that immediately policemen received the report, they rushed to the scene and with the aid of the phone, he was arrested.
Reacting, FCT police spokesperson, Hyelhira Altine Daniel, confirmed the arrest. She said: “What happened is that around 7:30pm or 8pm every day, he goes to that junction near Banex Plaza, where vehicles are loading passengers. Then, he would approach a sophisticated lady, introduce himself as the PA to a Senator, and told the lady that the senator wants a lady like her to work for him as a secretary. Ladies with longer throat happily exchanged numbers with him. He will disappear after collecting the phone number and in less than 20 or 30 minutes, he will change his voice and call the lady that he is the senator and that his PA is coming to bring her. Then, he would immediately come with a taxi and pick the girl. When he gets to a bushy area either by Mabushi bridge or deserted area near Banex, he would pretend talking to the senator and then ask the taxi driver to stop. Immediately, the taxi man leaves, he would then bring out pistol or knife, collects all her valuables and rape his victim.”
The Deputy Superintendent told our reporter that luck ran out of the suspected rapist when he accosted a 16-year-old girl, Saturday night, and tried to cajole her into following him to meet a senator but the young lady refused.
Daniel said he left the lady, but later came back and forced her into a taxi, took her to a bush near Banex plaza, pointed a gun at her head and raped her.
The PPRO said the girl identified the house and knew that it was not far from their house.
Daniel added: “He scornfully told the girl to gather her clothes and go home. The victim went home and told her father of her ordeal, the father immediately went to Maitama Police Station and reported. Policemen instantly swooped into action and went to Banex Plaza. Fortunately for the police, the suspect did not switch off the phone he took from the girl. Our officers started calling the number when they got to Banex Plaza, they noticed that a particular phone was ringing and a man was holding and looking at the phone. The victim was not around to identify the suspect as she was rushed to the hospital; that attracted the officers to go near the man and started calling the number again, the phone started ringing, and that was how he was nabbed.”
The police spokesperson added that the suspect confessed to have raped many women over the past years.
“He always robs and rapes his victims and we are going to prosecute him for the offence of rape,” the FCT PPRO said.
She decried the fact that victims of rape used to find it difficult to report to the police, praising the last victim and her family for their courage in reporting the matter to the police.