A 46-year-old policeman in Delta State, Corporal Barau Garba, who allegedly abducted a 14-year-old girl and turned her to a sex slave over a six-day period, has now been dismissed from the force.
It was learnt that Garba was handed a summary dismissal after an orderly room trial on Monday, October 30 in Anambra State.
This was confirmed by the spokesperson for the command, Mrs. Nkiruka Nwode.
The case of the 14-year-old girl made headlines when an activist, Mr. Alhassan Dambata, revealed how the girl got lost on October 14, while on an errand from Asaba, Delta State to Onitsha and was approached by Garba.
It was learnt that rather than give the girl direction, the policeman from MOPOL 7, Sokoto State on a special duty in Anambra State, abducted the girl and sexually assaulted her in his home for six days.
Garba, who was temporarily attached to the Okpoko Police Division in Onitsha, would be arraigned in a magistrate’s court in Anambra State on November 8, our correspondent learnt.
The girl’s parents, who are natives of Kano state but living in Delta State, said they would rather speak through the activist who serves as the interface between them and the police.
Dambata said, “The parents are very poor and uneducated. This is why Maryam does not attend any school. We have been trying our best to give her some care and treatment. But after the initial outcry from members of the public, we have heard nothing from government officials as a way of assisting the girl. An official from the Office of the Vice President even called to inquire about the condition of the girl, but we have heard nothing since then.
“The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Mr. Umar Garba, has been wonderful. He paid all her hospital bills and has even said that if anything is expected from the parents, which they cannot afford, they should come to him. Apart from him, a woman donated N10,000 to the girl child’s care and a student even donated N3,000 for her care.”
It was gathered that the girl was still on treatment in a hospital. – Punch.
