Residents of Pesepa community in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory have raised alarm over increase in cases of rape and kidnapping of their daughters, calling for urgent intervention of the government.
The head of the community, Saleh Gyazanyimade, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja that the girls are kidnapped and raped at regular intervals as they go to fetch water or go to school in nearby communities.
He said that because of the security challenge, a lot of their youths had stopped going to school for fear of their safety.
The chief, who gave the population of the village as over 3,000, however, identified some of their challenges to include lack of potable water, as well as lack of secondary school, healthcare facilities and electricity, among others.
“We appeal to government to come to our aid because we have been abandoned for so long; we need potable water, secondary school and hospital.
“At the moment, we rely on a small stream as our source of water, which often poses health challenge to our children. The stream is not even enough to serve the entire population.
“Most times, people spend hours or an entire day on queue for water, which invariably affects other daily chores.
“Majority of our girls, in the process of trekking long distance to and from school, are often raped by hoodlums.
“The only available hospital in our vicinity is a death-trap because the building is dilapidated, with neither drugs nor adequate manpower that will ensure efficient service delivery,” he lamented.
Also speaking to NAN, a member of the vigilante group in the community, Mr. Aliyu Pasepa, who is also the Secretary-General of the Pesepa Community Development Association, said he had rescued many girls from being raped in the course of his duty.
He said that recently, he, with the assistance of some security guards, rescued a girl that was raped and held hostage by kidnappers in Kubwa.
Pasepa, who described the situation as pathetic, warned that if the government fails to urgently come to their rescue, they might be forced to embark on protest.
NAN
