A 10-year-old girl who was r*ped by a kiosk operator in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has reportedly died few days after the incident.
Reports gathered that the girl had gone on an errand in Rumuibekwe area of Port Harcourt in the night when she was allegedly defiled by a man identified as Mallam Bashir, who owns the kiosk.
Following the death of the victim, the Rivers State chapter of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) and International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) have embarked on a campaign for Bashir not to be granted bail from the police custody after his arrest until he is tried.
The state chairperson of NAWOJ, Mrs Lillian Okonkwo, alleged that friends and relatives of Bashir had been making efforts to get him out on bail. Okonkwo said that the police were initially reluctant to arrest Bashir until NAWOJ and FIDA mounted pressure on them.
She said: ”It is unfortunate that she died. But we are appealing that the bail being sought by the relatives of Bashir should not be granted.” Okonkwo also appealed to the Rivers State Government to intervene in the matter as women.
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