There is rising uproar in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital over the death of a 13-year-old girl, Miss Tarietimi Gana, after being raped by Promise Sylvanus Ogun ,a 30-year-old teacher with the Government Secondary School, Toroegbeni in Sagbama local government area of the state.
Our correspondent learnt that the civil society organization and Girl Child Advocacy groups in the state including the Girl Response Initiative Team set up by the wife of the state governor, Mrs. Gloria Diri and the DOF Foundation led by Barr. Dise Ogbise-Erhisere are planning to visit the state police commissioner, Mike Okoli to demand for proper investigation and arrest of the allege rapist.
It was gathered that the allege rapist, after owning up before family and compound chiefs that he was responsible for the rape of the deceased and paid her hospital bill at a private hospital in Opolo area of the state capital, had made a u-turn by accusing the father of the deceased of threat to life before the area command of the Police in Sagbama.
The civil society groups are more angered by the fact that instead of investigating the alleged rape and death of the 13-year-old girl, they are busy summoning the deceased father over the trump up charges of alleged treat to life by the accused teacher.
Investigation revealed that the deceased girl, sometimes in March was waylaid by the waterside in Ogoibiri community of Sagbama where she had gone to take her bath and raped twice by the accused teacher.
According to the father of the deceased, Pinaowei Gana, the girl did not report that she was violated and raped. ”She kept it to herself and was bleeding little by little. Until two months later, we noticed some strange smell and she complained of serious sickness. We took her to a local massage therapists and he told us that the child has been defiled and infected.
“We took her back to tell my landlord and some elders who defiled her, and she confirmed it was the teacher. He pleaded I should not go to the police but that he will pay for her treatment and settle with the family. He took her to a private hospital in Opolo where she was admitted for over a week. But he came back and discharge the child without doctor’s advice and dumped her with me. Two days later, the girl died.”
The deceased father also confirmed that after he raised alarm over the death of her child, “the accused and his entire family packed and ran out of the area. The father to the accused, however, offered and deposited the corpse of the girl at the mortuary along the Amassoma road pending the resolution of the conflict.”
Commenting on the development, the Founder of the DOF foundation, Barr. Dise Ogbise-Erhisere confirmed that the deceased died from complications of rape, insisting that the girl child advocacy groups are planning on visiting the commissioner of police over the matter,
She said: “a crime has been committed and the culprit has admitted to the crime. They need to ensure he is arrested and prosecuted. On the reported petition of the alleged pedophile, the police need to investigate and determine who is culpable and where is the corpse of the defiled and deceased child.”
She called on the police authorities to transfer the case from area command in Sagbama to the state police headquarters in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa capital.
