The Anambra State Police Command has moved to prosecute five suspects over a series of reported sexual and child abuse cases recorded across the state within the month of April, including that of a father accused of repeatedly violating his daughter over a period of years.
The Command said it had concluded investigations into the string of cases and was set to arraign no fewer than five suspects before a Special Court sitting in Awka today, May 6, 2026.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who revealed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday, the cases, which are being handled by the Gender Unit of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), involve allegations ranging from defilement and incest to severe child abuse.
Among the suspects and the cases is that of a middle-aged man identified as Rapuruchukwu Ezenandu, alleged to have been engaging in an incestuous relationship with his daughter since she was about 17 years old. The matter, according to the Police, only came to light after the victim who is now 20-year-old visited a hospital and was diagnosed with a serious viral infection, thereby raising suspicion that later exposed the alleged abuse. The suspect, who is also positive, is said to have made a confessional statement to the alleged crime.
In another case referenced in the statement, a 26-year-old security guard, Chukwuemeka Chidiebere, is accused of attacking a 16-year-old girl within an estate in Ogbunike, where he allegedly dragged her into an uncompleted building and forcefully had unlawful carnal knowledge of her. The Police said the suspect has also confessed to the crime.
Similarly, the police authorities said they were set to prosecute a 36-year-old barber, Uchenna Muojama, over the alleged defilement of an 11-year-old girl in Neni, whom he reportedly lured into his barbing salon before committing the act. Investigators, according to the statement, have already secured medical evidence to support the case in court.
In a related development, a 52-year-old suspect, Chukwudi Nwayata, is accused of taking advantage of the mental condition of an 11-year-old girl in Awka, luring her to his residence and committing the offence.
Also to be arraigned by the police is a female suspect, Eucharia Ezenwanne, alleged to have subjected two minors (aged 6 and 4) to severe physical abuse. The children, who were said to have been adopted from a motherless babies’ home in Onitsha, were reportedly brutalized with a wire by the victim, leaving visible injuries on their bodies.
The Police Spokesman noted that the cases were received from different divisions, including Ogbunike, Neni, Oko, and Awka, and were thoroughly investigated before being charged to court.
Reacting, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ikioye Orutugu, described the offences as grievous, inhuman, and unacceptable, stressing that the Command would not relent in its efforts to protect vulnerable persons, especially children. He further vowed to ensure that the perpetrators of such acts are brought to justice to serve as a deterrent to others.
