Jos: Over 20 underage rape cases reported in 3 months

The Plateau State Police Command, yesterday, expressed worry over the rising cases of underage rape within Jos Metropolis, saying it has received over 20 cases between the months of March and May.

The police made available several daily crime bulletins of underage rape cases to our correspondent between the last three months where minors, mostly below the age of 10, were raped by suspects in their 20s and 50s.

The latest case which occurred last week Tuesday was in Anguwan Rogo, Jos North, where a resident reported that his five years old daughter had been raped by one Umar Haruna, 26, who threatened to stab her if she reported to anyone. The father of the victim had reported to the police that he noticed a discharge coming from his daughter’s private part and that when he asked her, she narrated how the suspect lured her to his room and had canal knowledge of her.

The crime which was reported by the Anguwan Rogo Area Station through wireless communication to the police headquarters, noted that the police had arrested the suspect, then taken both victim and suspect to the police clinic for medical examination. It noted that Haruna had denied committing the offence and the case had been transferred to the state CID for further investigation.

Plateau State Police Public Relations Officer, Tyopev Terna, yesterday, told Daily Trust that rape cases were on the rise within Jos Metropolis, adding that at least two or three rape cases were reported weekly.

ASP Terna noted that, “Some of the suspects have confessed while others are still being investigated. The areas we seem to be having the most challenge are Nasarawa Gwom, Anguwan Rogo and Laranto; and the victims are mostly underaged.”