Nsukka—Some residents of Nsukka have described as evil and abominable, the alleged raping of old women by some recalcitrant youths at Opi, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State

Mr Chris Ogbonna, a resident, said he was shocked and confused when he heard that boys within the age bracket of 14 and 17 years were raping women of between 60 and 80 years at Opi.

Ogbonna said in Nsukka yesterday that “it is an abomination, as well as something that will tingle every ear that hears it.

“I wonder how they can rape women that should be their mothers’ and grand mothers’ age.

“Community leaders should rise up to put this infantile madness to immediate stop, as well as ensure that the culprits are brought to justice.”

Another resident, Mrs Onyinye Urama, also said that she almost shed tears when she read the report from a newspaper publication.

She said: “What could have gone wrong with these youths to the extent of engaging in such an abominable act? The one that seriously touched me was that of a 70-year-old blind woman, who was also raped, and who later died after three weeks.”

“I imagined the physical and psychological pains of theses women while the rape lasted.  I commend ‘Umuadaigbo’ Women group, who had intervened to stop this evil, as well as ensure that perpetrators are brought to book,” she said.

A Pastor with God is Divine Ministry, Mr Chibuzo Ike, said that the boys were possessed by evil spirit, noting that the land of Opi needed serious deliverance to avert the wrath of God.

He said that the land of Opi needed serious prayer, as “this kind of abomination is capable of affecting development”.

“If the culprits are not delivered from this evil, their wives in future might find it difficult to bear children.

“I suspect they are in serous cult and the rape may be for a ritual purpose. Parents should always be careful about the type of persons their children associate with,” he said

When contacted, Mr Ebere Amarizu, the Enugu State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), said the matter was not reported to police directly, rather to an NGO that brought it to the attention of the police.

“Police are investigating the matter, but the matter was not reported to us directly, it was an NGO that drew our attention to it,” he said.

On whether any arrest had been made, Amarizu could not confirm if any arrest had been made, but said that police investigation was on.