Retired police officer arrested for allegedly raping 9-year-old girl in Calabar

 A retired police officer, Christopher Archibong has been arrested and detained at the Mbukpa Police station for allegedly raping a 9-year old girl in Calabar, Cross River State.

Speaking to CrossRiverWatch, the mother of the victim, Mrs. Peace Edem Okon said she had gone to the market and left instructions with the victim to wash the clothes of her siblings and upon her return discovered that something foul had happened.

“When I got back I discovered that my daughter wasn’t herself, all efforts to make her tell me what was wrong were futile. Then the younger ones told me that blood was coming out from her bottom. I was surprise and thought she had started seeing her period. It was when I bought pad and tried helping her fix it that I discovered it was mucus, and upon persuasion she told me what happened”. 

In her statement, the victim said that on May 31, 2017 after when her mother left for the market, the accused came and asked about the whereabouts of her parents. She told him they had gone out.

“So (he) told me to come and pick some firewood. So as I went to pick the firewood, he came and held me to the ground and climbed on me," the statement reads.

She screamed and said she was going to tell her mother but the accused threatened that he will kill her.

"You will sleep and will not wakeup" he told her and then unzipped his trouser and raped her.

The victim said when the mother came and saw her and asked what has happened she was scared to speak-up as the accused had threatened that she would die and she only told her mother “because my mother wanted to die”.

Mrs. Theresa Okpa of Basic Rights Council (BRCI), the law firm handling the case said that the family of the victim fears the case may be compromised, especially as the accused is a former Police officer.

She added that the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Commissioner are already involved and aware of the case as the organization will do all it can do make sure this particular case is not swept under the carpet.

The medical report Form D5 of the victim obtained by CRW shows that the child was defiled.

Meanwhile, the matter has been moved to the State Criminal Investigation Department.