Suleja: Police arrest security guard over alleged rape, killing of 11-year-old girl in Niger
The Niger State Police Command has arrested a 26-year-old security guard, Godwin Dauda, in connection with the alleged rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl, Christabel Albert, in Suleja.
Police Public Relations Officer SP Wasiu Abiodun announced the arrest in a statement released on Friday. According to the report, Christabel was reported missing after she left her home on September 19 to attend a birthday celebration for a relative.
The investigation began when a pastor from the Apostolic Church in Suleja reported the discovery of a body in a well on the church grounds. Following this report, police officials, alongside local government welfare personnel, recovered the body and transported it to General Hospital, Suleja, where it was identified as that of the missing girl.
Authorities soon turned their attention to Dauda, who was employed as a security guard at the church. Suspicion arose when he reportedly fled the scene after the body was found. He was apprehended around 8 p.m. on September 23 in the Kuje area of the Federal Capital Territory, where he had allegedly sought refuge.
During interrogation, Dauda is said to have confessed that he lured Christabel to his security room on September 19 and sexually assaulted her. He further stated that she died during the assault, prompting him to conceal her body in the well before fleeing the scene.
The Niger State Police Command has indicated that a preliminary investigation is ongoing. Dauda is expected to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department in Minna for further investigation and prosecution.
