Robbers invade Ebonyi church, rape girl

Armed hoodlums on Wednesday morning invaded an Assemblies of God church in Abakaliki, raped one girl and shot another in her thigh.

The youth, belonging to the drama wing of the church, were said to be having an all-night rehearsal in preparation for a drama programme proposed to hold on September 25, when they were attacked by hoodlums.

The attack was said to have occurred between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. in the morning at the Azuiyiokwu branch of the church.

A source said that while they raped one of the girls, they shot another, who resisted their attempts to sexually assault her, in the thigh.

They also reportedly stole phones belonging to some of the youth and equipment of the church.

Some other youth of the church were said to have deserted the church for safety at the time of the event.

When our reporter visited the church, the pastor in charge of the church was not available, but some elders of the church who spoke confirmed the report.

They, however, refused to disclose the identities of the victims.

“Yes, what you heard is true, we were called this morning to be notified of the incident, however, we will not be able to give you all the details you require now,” said one of them who didn’t want to be named.

“Our pastor, who is in charge of this place, is not available now. He stayed awake all through the night that this thing happened and he is down now.”

“However, the matter has been reported to the police and the girls have been taken to hospital for treatment,” he added.

Police spokesperson, Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident.

She said the police have commenced an investigation with a view to arresting the culprits.