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A suspected ritualist, Ifeanyi Dike, who was paraded at the weekend by the Rivers State Police Command for raping and killing an eight-year-old girl has escaped from police custody.
Dike, a 23-year-old undergraduate of University of Port Harcourt, allegedly killed the girl identified as Victory Chikamso, who resided in the same compound. He was caught by the local vigilante group in Eliozu Axis of the city and was handed over to the police.
Reports say he gourged out the victim’s eyes, and removed her vagina, finger and tongue, after defiling and murdering her. Dike was arrested by the local vigilante while attempting to dispose off the body.
The bereaved father of the girl, Dr. Ernest Mezuwuba told newsmen in Port Harcourt on Monday that Dike escaped from police custody shortly after writing his statement at the States Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, same day he was paraded by the police with the corpse of the innocent girl.
The deceased girl and her family lived in the same compound with the suspect at Eliozu Axis of Port Harcourt.
According to Mezuwuba, “After I finished writing my statement and the suspect wrote his, he told the police that he wanted to drink water and the next thing I heard was help, catch him, he is running away and the officer just returned and said he has escaped.”
The traumatised father urged Police to ensure that the 200 Level student of the University of Port Harcourt was rearrested to face justice and for the safety of other innocent people.
The Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Zaki Ahmed, confirmed the disturbing incident, adding that the police officer who caused the escape, John Bosco, has been arrested and detained.
Assuring that they would soon track down the suspected ritualist, Ahmed called on members of the public to volunteer information that would lead to the re-arrest of Dike.