SHOWBIZPLUSng in a story monitored from Punch Metro learnt that the policeman,
Augustine Gbuchenge, with Force number 400823, lived in the same compound with
Amarachi’s family.
The father of the victim, Patrick, said on the fateful day he had been looking everywhere for his
daughter until they discovered her under Gbuchenge’s bed.
Patrick said, “Last Thursday, I returned from
work around 7.30pm and met my children and wife outside. There was power
failure on that day so everywhere was dark. I asked after Amarachi but my wife
said she was probably in our apartment sleeping.
“I was not satisfied with this explanation
because my children don’t usually sleep early. When I went up, I did not see my
daughter so we started asking around. Some little children in the compound then
told me that Gbuchenge had called my daughter earlier to help him buy akara.
“I went to the policeman’s room to challenge him
but he denied seeing my daughter so we continued looking everywhere. After
sometime, the whole compound got involved in the search and all clues pointed
to the policeman.”
Patrick told PUNCH Metro that he and the
other neighbours challenged Gbuchenge again and an argument ensued.
He said Gbuchenge immediately stood up and
threatened to go and tell his colleagues at the Ketu Police Division that he
was being wrongly accused of abduction.
“Some moments later, I also stood up and headed
for the police station to go and report the matter thinking I would meet the
policeman there as well but I did not. After reporting the matter, a police
corporal accompanied me back to my house,” Patrick said.
It was learnt that when they returned to the
house, Gbuchenge was nowhere to be found and his room was locked.
“We were able to beam a torchlight through his
window where we saw my daughter’s legs pointing out from under the bed,”
Patrick said.
Neighbours were said to have rallied around and
broken Gbuchenge’s door open.
PUNCH Metro learnt that when the little
girl was finally pulled out from under the bed, she was bound by her hands and
feet while a piece of cloth had been stuffed in her mouth.
Amarachi was said to have been bleeding profusely
as she had sustained a broken skull.
She was subsequently taken to Gbagada General
Hospital but due to the severity of her wound, she was referred to the Lagos
Island General Hospital.
When our correspondent visited the victim at the
hospital, she was seen wearing a neck brace while her head had been bandaged.
Narrating her ordeal, Amarachi said, “On that
day, he (Gbuchenge) asked me to buy akara for him. After I returned, my mum
asked me to go upstairs to do the dishes. As I was going, the man pulled me
from behind and took me into his room.
“He then tied me up. He did not rape me. After
sometime, my parents started shouting my name and calling me, the policeman
used an iron to hit me in the head repeatedly and then pushed me under the bed
and used clothes to cover me. Under the bed, I saw little children’s clothes.
“He then turned on his generator so that even if
I tried to shout, no one would hear. After sometime, he left. I continued to
hear my father’s voice and I struggled to push my leg from under the bed. That
was how they saw me and rescued me.”
Amara described the policeman as a very friendly
person who usually bought sweets and biscuits for children in the compound. She
said she was surprised that he would do such a thing.
A neighbour, who did not identify himself,
described Gbuchenge as a very strange person who usually carried a large bag
around.
“The man (Gbuchenge) has been living in this
compound for over three years. He is married with children but his family lives
in Alapere, Ketu. He has two buses but on the day of the incident, he did not
bring his vehicles home, it seems he had planned to escape on that day.
“We believe he wanted to use the girl for ritual.
What were little children’s clothes doing under the bed?”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer,
Ngozi Braide, confirmed the incident in a text message sent to our
correspondent. She said efforts were on to determine if the suspect was indeed
a policeman.
She said, “I heard of the wicked act. MOPOL 22,
which is where the complainant claims the suspect works has been contacted.
However, the commander in charge of MOPOL 22 said there was no person with such
a name or identity in his squadron.
“Meanwhile, we have sent signals to other police
departments and stations to ascertain if the man is actually a serving
policeman. The act is inhuman and the suspect will never go unpunished.”
1 comment:
God will purnish him in a befittin manner
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