Angry indigenes of Obunagha Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA) of Bayelsa State have apprehended a 40-year-old man for defiling and sodomising his 12-year-old stepdaughter.

The victim, according to sources, was said to have collapsed from the pain and was rushed to the Niger Delta University Hospital, Okolobiri, with bleeding from the anus and private parts.

Meanwhile, tension is currently brewing in Swali Community, also in Yenagoa, the state capital, as Ijaw youths stage a massive protest over the killing of a student of Ekowe Polytechnic, Clever Charles Abadi, who was also a native of Ekowe Community.

The protesters, who condemned the alleged killing, which reportedly occurred in Swali Community, have closed all roads and markets in the area.

The protesters, who attributed the killing to Fulani herdsmen, were seen carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, demanding justice for the deceased and calling on relevant authorities to ensure the perpetrators are brought to book.

In Obunagha, the alleged rapist of the 12-year-old victim, who was identified as a bricklayer in the community, was handed over to the State Rapid Response Unit, Dor Akpoor, after severe public flogging by residents.

The father of the victim (name withheld) described the incident as sad, confirming that the victim has since been under intensive care at the hospital. He said the family is considering pushing for the prosecution of the culprit after due consultations.

The Youth Leadership, led by Pere Orufa, former youth president of the Gbarain Youths Federation, and the gender-based organisation led by Dr Dise Harry, has deployed field officers to monitor developments regarding the incident.

Pere Orufa, who confirmed the incident, said the culprit had done it to the victim before and with the knowledge of the mother, “but when he did it again, the girl experienced severe pain and was bleeding through the anus. The mother raised the alarm, which led to the angry indigenes apprehending the culprit.”

He described the incident as disgraceful and wicked, advising mothers to be more vigilant and calling on single or divorced women taking their daughters into a new marriage to be watchful and protect their children against molestation.

The Founder of the Do Foundation, Dr Dise Ogbise Goddy Harry, who also confirmed the development, said the incident and two others recorded between December 2025 and January 2026 have become worrisome and saddening to gender-based organisations.

She noted that “As an organisation, we are once again awakened to our responsibilities as civil society organisations. We need to revisit our sensitisation strategies and look out for preventive measures to end sexual abuse of our children.”

“Between January and now, we have recorded three cases of sexual abuse of our children, and the perpetrators are stepfathers to these innocent young girls. Also, between October and December last year, we had two cases involving adults (neighbours) and girls between the ages of 7 and 12.”

“These incidents call for urgent collaborative intervention by all key actors in the fight against gender-based violence.”

“For us in Do Foundation, the Association of Women Against Gender-Based Violence, Operation Save Our Children from Abuse and Intimate Care Essentials, we are calling on the Bayelsa State Police Command to thoroughly investigate all the matters and let these paedophiles be prosecuted.”

“Also, as plans for collaboration have started amongst the various groups, we shall ensure that no paedophile walks freely on the streets of Bayelsa State again.”