By Becky Usman

Effurun-based Human Rights Lawyer, Emmanuel Ekpuda, has submitted a petition to the Nigerian Police, Ekpan Division, urging them to apprehend and charge Corporal Aliyu Uwarh from 3 Battalion Effurun, for allegedly raping a 9-year-old girl named Miracle Alibaba on a farm.

In the petition, Ekpuda, representing Mr. and Mrs. Aliubaba, the parents of the victim, described the incident that took place in May 2023. According to the petition, Miracle Aliubaba was raped by Corporal Aliyu Uwarh, a soldier with the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, while she was fetching water for her parents on their farm. The soldier reportedly molested her, beat her, and threatened her into silence. When the parents discovered the abuse and reported it, the soldier took the victim for a medical checkup, confirming the molestation.

Despite the confirmation by the Barrack Doctor, Captain Harumin, the victim’s father was detained in Army custody for several days. The trauma from the incident led to Mrs. Aliubaba, who was seven months pregnant, losing her pregnancy.

The petition highlighted the family’s desire for justice to be served and called for the apprehension of the accused, urging the authorities to allow the legal process to take its course. Ekpuda also revealed that attempts to serve court documents were thwarted by military personnel at the barrack’s gate, leading him to seek media intervention to address the situation.