The police have launched a manhunt for other suspects over the alleged sexual assault.
The police in Cross River State have arrested a man and launched a manhunt for other suspects over the alleged sexual assault and unlawful confinement of a 15-year-old girl in Calabar.
In a statement on Wednesday, the police spokesperson in the state, Sunday Eitokpah, said the girl was allegedly taken against her will to a residence in the 8 Miles area of Calabar on 4 September.
She was “allegedly sexually assaulted by two suspects and prevented from leaving the residence for about three days,” Mr Eitokpah said.
Mr Eitokpah, an assistant superintendent of police, said Mr Solomon was arrested following the report and was assisting investigators with information that could help unravel the circumstances surrounding the alleged offence.
He said the police were also working to identify and apprehend other people allegedly involved in the incident.
The police said they had activated their child-protection and investigative procedures to protect the survivor’s privacy, dignity and welfare.
They said the girl’s identity and other information that could identify her would not be disclosed to prevent further trauma and stigmatisation.
The police urged parents, guardians and members of the public to report suspected cases of sexual violence against children promptly to law enforcement or relevant child-protection authorities.
“The Command strongly warns against all forms of sexual violence against children,” the statement said.
It also cautioned against trial by media, stressing that suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.
The latest allegation comes amid a series of reported cases involving sexual offences against children in Cross River.
In August, the police arrested two men, aged 68 and 70, after a 12-year-old girl alleged that they separately lured her into their rooms and attempted to sexually assault her in the Thomas Henshaw area of Calabar.
The suspects denied the allegations and were taken into police custody, while the girl was referred for medical examination.
There have been several convictions recently for child sexual offences in the state.
In June, the Family Court in Calabar sentenced 41-year-old Endurance Sandy to life imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl. The case, which began in 2021, involved a man who lived in the same neighbourhood as the child.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported that the June conviction was the third life imprisonment sentence for a sexual offence involving a child in the state in three consecutive months.
In May, a 27-year-old man was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 13-year-old girl, while another man was sentenced to life imprisonment in April for raping his daughter.
The police asked members of the public to let the investigation run its course and to share any relevant information that could help investigators.
