A 24-year old commercial tricyclist, Mr. Akpan Confidence, has been arrested by police in Benin City for allegedly using his tricycle to trap, rob and rape a female passenger.
Akpan who was arrested on Monday, August 9, had on July 23 along Sapele, allegedly raped the young lady, an undergraduate of one of the tertiary institutions in the state who had hired her to Ugbor in Benin City road at about 8pm.
It was learnt that halfway into the journey, Akpan was said to have diverted the tricycle to a lonely road, on the excuse that the route he took was not motorable, only to bring out a cutlass and threatened to slaughter his passenger and have her buried on the spot unless she agreed to sleep with him.
He was said to have robbed the young girl of her cash and iPhone after he overpowered and dragged her to an uncompleted building where he slept with her before fleeing.
The victim who declined to disclose her identity amidst wailing, narrated her ordeal thus : “I called the Keke NAPEP man to carry me to where I could get a taxi to Sapele Road.
“We agreed and I got in only for him to suddenly brandish a shining cutlass, threatening to kill me if I refused to sleep with him.
“I have no choice but to surrender quickly. He forcefully slept with me in an uncompleted building right in the middle of a bush.
“I begged him but he refused to let go of me. He later left me in the bush after sleeping with me and collected the little money I had”.
But in a remorseful tone, Akpan said “I regret my action. I am ashamed. I don’t really know what came over me. I can’t explain why I raped and robbed her”.
Confirming the incident, spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP Bello Kontongs, said the suspect was arrested through high technical intelligence.
He assured that the police will carry out a thorough investigation to ascertain whether the suspect has in the past been involved in the attack, robbery and raping of innocent persons in the state.
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