Serious concern has been raised on the health status of a 12-year old female rape victim in Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State, as one of the two suspects arrested by the state police command in connection with the case, one Emmanuel Nwachukwu, has confessed to testing positive of HIV/ AIDS after being screened by doctors in a public hospital in the state.

Nwachukwu, a 52-year-old man and a builder by profession, stated this while being paraded by the police in Minna along with the second suspect, Chinedu Andrew (22).

The two suspects were accused of raping a Primary Six pupil, Bright (not real name), whose mother is said to be a close family friend to the wife of the first suspect and a neighbour to both suspects.

According to Nwachukwu, “I have tested positive to HIV/AIDS, but before the test was conducted, I did not know I had the virus.”

He said he did not rape the girl, but made love with her, adding: “She told me she was about 15 years old.” He further stated that he was married and blessed with four children.

Giving an insight into how he got involved with the rape victim, the suspect said: “One afternoon in November 2015, Bright came to my residence when I lay on my bed .

“She climbed the bed and was touching me. I asked what her problem was because I saw her as a young girl, but she responded that I would not understand. She kept on playing with me and when I could no longer hold myself, I made love to her.”

The suspect further explained that when he realised that the girl was wayward, “I started telling her that I was going to report her to her mother but she responded that she was going to tell her mother that I was the one that had been making love to her.”

Also, the second suspect, Andrew, confessed to defiling the young girl but claimed that she agreed to be his girlfriend when he informed her that he was aware of her love affairs with the first suspect, who happened to be the father of his bosom friend.

The SSS2 student narrated his story thus: “I used to see Bright with Oga Emma (Nwachukwu) sometimes in his house. One day, I asked her what she was doing with Oga Emma as I was always seeing them together.

“I advised her against dating a man old enough to be her father and she replied that it was the man that was pestering her for s*x.”

Andrew added that no sooner had he given the advice to the victim than she started touching him in some sensitive parts of his body, after which he quickly stripped his clothes and had carnal knowledge of her.

Andrew said that his love making sessions with Bright continued, but that did not stop him from revealing the first suspect’s escapades with the young girl to his son. This, he stated, made Nwachukwu unhappy.

“It was Oga Emma who went and informed Bright’s mother that I was sleeping with her daughter. This made the woman to report the case at the police station and I was arrested. I felt I had not done anything to warrant being arrested by the police because I felt I was innocent as the girl voluntarily agreed that I should be her boyfriend. I also told the police that I was not the only one sleeping with the girl and mentioned Oga Emma’s name.”

When Crime Reports contacted the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, he confirmed the incident, saying that the suspects would be charged to court, as investigations into the case had been concluded. He however refused to talk on the health status of the first suspect.