Trader, 38, impregnates 15-year-old in Walewale

Zibrila Haruna, a 38-year-old trader in the North-East Region, is under arrest on suspicion of impregnating a 15-year-old girl.

Sergeant Francis Ngissah, a spokesman for the police, said the victim is a student of the Ebenezer Presbyterian Primary School in Walewawe.

The 15-year-old is a student at the same school as Haruna’s daughter. She would occasionally call by the house so that the two girls could go to school together.

Married with children

Sergeant Ngissah said on the day in question the victim came to the suspect’s house at Moshie-fong, in the suburbs of Walewale, but her friend was not at home.

The 15-year-old alleges that Haruna grabbed her and forcibly had sex with her. He warned her not to tell anybody what had happened.

After that Haruna, who is married with three children, continued having sex with the victim.

The girl’s mother eventually discovered she was pregnant.

Sergeant Ngissah said the suspect is being processed for court and will be prosecuted in due course.

Checks by this reporter show that abuse of minors is rampant in the locality. However, it is hardly ever reported to the police because the culture of the local people has created a silence around the subject.

Local people generally fear that the closing down of schools in response to the COVID-19 outbreak will lead to a spike in teenage pregnancies.

Fred Dzakpata

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