A four-man syndicate have been arrested by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) for gang-r*ping a 13-year-old JSS 1 student in Pandogari town, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger state.

The state commandant of the Corps in the state, Joachim Okafor, who disclosed this in Minna on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 while parading the suspects, said that the gang also allegedly cut off the manhood of a three-year-old boy.

The suspects confessed that a witch doctor identified as Baba Sada, directed them to get the male genitals for a charm to make them immune to gun shot or knife attacks.

Okafor, who spoke through the Second-in-Command of the Niger State NSCDC, Abdulhamid Kabara, disclosed that luck ran against the suspects after the 13-year-old victim, Fatima Usman escaped from an uncompleted building they took her to in the outskirt of Pandogari.

“A girl of about 13 years old named Fatima Usman, a JSS 1 student of Government Day Secondary School Pandogari had an encounter with a gang of notorious boys who specialized in r*ping, maiming, and killing of school children. Fatima Usman reported the matter to the school principal, Mohammed Aketa, after having received several threats from one of the gang members,” he said.

“On Thursday, 2nd May 2024, the principal however informed the security operatives about the development and a strategy was put in place, using the girl as bait, it worked out perfectly as the man threatening the girl’s life was arrested. The arrested person identified himself as Aliyu Amiru, (M), 20 years of age, in the course of investigation mentioned other syndicate members

“She was asked to cooperate; otherwise she would be met with the same fate as the boy’s. She was laid flat on the ground and a needle-like substance was used to prick the surroundings of her navel and lower abdomen, and the mutilated genitalia of the little boy were rubbed over the pierced area of her navel, mixing her blood and that of the boy, after which it was dropped inside a little sack. She however managed to escape and they chased her, but they stopped chasing her when she ran into a burial ground,” Kabara said.

The NSCDC deputy Command gave the names of the other members of the syndicate as Suleiman Gambo (M) 19; Yusufa Muttala (M) 22; Rabiu Muttala (M) 33; Ahmed Bako (M) 45 and Jibrin Ibrahim (M) 35.

He revealed that the syndicate had been apprehended and taken to the NSCDC Divisional Office of Rafi.

Kabara added that the case had been forwarded to the Intelligence and Investigation Department at the NSCDC Niger State Command Headquarters for further inquiry.

“The syndicate also confessed that they drugged the girl and took turns in r*ping her while she was in a state of drowsiness. They also said the reason for their involvement in that act was because one Baba Sada asked them to bring a male child’s genitalia concocted as directed; he assured them of using it to produce a charm that would protect them against dangerous weapons such as a bullet, machete, dagger, knives, etc. They admitted to having received a total sum of Five Thousand Naira only for the job.”