BIRTHDAY TRAGEDY: Girl raped, fiance shot

Tragedy struck at the university town of Nsukka, EnuguState, weekend, as unidentified gunmen raped a young girl, who was celebrating her birthday with her lover boy, who was also shot in the head.It was gathered that the incident occurred last Saturday, when the girl’s boyfriend, identified as Sunday Ozioko, 30, took out his lover in his new Toyota Camry saloon car as part of the birthday celebration.  It was learned that the gunmen, who rode in a motorcycle, blocked the vehicle along Orba Road at 6.30p.m., took over the car and sped off through Orba Market to Obollo-Afor.  They stopped at Alor-Ano Community Secondary School, raped the girl and shot her fiancé, who survived the attack, but was said to be in critical condition.

A source said that when the two gunmen were through at 9:30p.m., they gave the victim N500, having been dropped off at Odolu in KogiState.  Realising that the girl could identify then later, the bandits allegedly made for the girl again, who was able to escape through a path that led her to a crusade ground, where Adonai Faith Assembly was having a vigil.  Rescue  The obviously horrified girl was said to have narrated her ordeal to the congregation, who she told her fiancee was still lying in his pool of blood.  According to a source, the pastor of the church immediately swung into action, reached out to the police at Nsukka Urban, who quickly rushed him to BishopShanahanHospital, Nsukka.  Efforts made to speak with the victim at his hospital private ward proved abortive as his relations barred press men from seeing him.  Sunday Ozioko has, however, been transferred to UNTH, Enugu, for a surgical operation on his head.  Enugu State Police spokesman, Ebere Amarizu, said police were on top of the situation and vowed that everything would be done to track down the bandits.