Man, 43, escapes lynching for defiling 11 year-old

Aforty three year-old man, identified as Kabiru Yahaya, narrowly escaped being lynched by an angry mob on Saturday afternoon after he allegedly raped an 11 year-old girl at Unguwar Bayi at Suleja, Niger State.

A member of the vigilante in the area, who craved anonymity, said the incident happened around 3:47 pm when the accused allegedly lured the victim to his room and raped her.

He said the victim

left home in company of three other girls to celebrate Sallah, when the man asked her to come and collect N200 for Sallah.

“It was the other three girls that ran back home to report the matter before our men were invited. When we forced the door open, the man was naked,” he said.

He said it was in the process of taking the suspect to the police after he confessed to raping the girl that some youths in the area attempted to lynch him.

He decried incessant cases of rape, especially within the town, saying there was need for authorities to save underaged girls from sexually depraved men.

“Even a day to Sallah, we arrested another man at Rafin Senyin village who lured a girl who was selling groundnut into his shop and attempted to rape her. If not for neighbours who raised alarm, he would have penetrated the girl,” he added.

Efforts to get the reaction of the Suleja Divisional Police Officer (DPO) over the incident were not successful, but a police officer at the station who refused to disclose his name confirmed the incident, saying the matter was being investigated.