Police arrest escaped rapist in Edo

The Edo State Police Command on Sunday said that a rapist named Jacob Alonge, who was serving a 21-year prison sentence for raping and impregnating his own daughter but escaped during the #EndSARS protest in 2020, would be retried for escaping from lawful custody.

Alonge, from Ososo in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of ​​the state, was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment in August 2019 for raping and impregnating his now deceased 17-year-old daughter, Gift Alonge.

Gift, who was five months pregnant at the time, and four others assisting in the prosecution died in a horrific car crash on January 16, 2019, while traveling to Benin for sentencing.

The victims also included employees of the BraveHeart Initiative for Youth and Women (BHI), which assisted in the prosecution.

After his escape, Alonge returned to his village and began to lead a normal life there, supposedly under the protection of the people in the area where he was staying.

The state police commissioner, Funsho Adeboye, said shortly before handing him over to the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) operatives: “He (Alonge) is a very deadly and dangerous criminal, he served a 21-year prison sentence, he raped and impregnated his own daughter because he believed so much in the powers he supposedly possesses.

“During the trial, he swore that his daughter and anyone who would testify against him in court would never see the light of day. Unfortunately, that’s what happened. He is not to be trifled with and we are sending him back where he belongs.”

Reacting to this development, BWI Executive Director Priscilla Usiobaifo called on the NCS to take appropriate steps to prevent another escape by Alonge and to continue to prioritise the re-arrest of several other inmates who escaped with him during the 2020 prison break and evaded justice.

She said: “BHI thanks and congratulates the Edo State Police Commissioner, his gallant officers and the local intelligence team who stood on the side of justice by exposing and facilitating the re-arrest of Alonge.”

She recalled that the convicted man evaded re-arrest for four years under the protection of his community in Ososo.

“Ironically, the arrest would have been impossible without the tip-off and cooperation of concerned men and women in his community where Alonge enjoyed protection,” the Nigerian police said in a briefing.

“We at BWI remain committed to exposing and combating all forms of gender-based violence in Edo State. We count on the continued support of the Edo State Government, the Edo State Police, traditional and religious leaders, vigilantism groups, youth associations, women’s groups, community networks and the media,” Usiobaifo said.