A 43-year-old security guard, Mr. Elias James, last Thursday afternoon, narrowly escaped being lynched by a mob after he was arrested for allegedly defiling an 11-year-old girl at Kayada village in Kuje Area Council.
A resident of the community, who simply identified himself as Bako, said the incident happened around 11: 23 a.m. after the suspect allegedly lured the girl (names withheld) into an uncompleted building, where he allegedly defiled her.
He said the girl, who was hawking groundnuts, was called by the suspect ostensibly to buy groundnuts but in the process, lured her into an uncompleted building, where he had canal knowledge of her.
According to him, a woman, who sells close to the uncompleted building, caught the man half naked with the girl.
“The woman had gone to collect her bottles of mineral drinks from the security guard when she saw him half naked and ran out to raise an alarm,’’ he said.
According to the witness, some labourers and okada riders, who got wind of the incident, pounced on him but that he was rescued by some elders and taken to a police outpost in the village.
Efforts to get the reaction of the police officers at the outpost over the incident were not successful, while the Kuje Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Mr. Oronto E.N, could not be reached on phone but a police officer at the division confirmed the incident.
He said that the suspect would be charged to court after investigation, adding that the girl has been taken to a private hospital for examination.
In another incident, members of the vigilante group at Yanbabu village, on the Kwaita-Yebu road in Kwali Area Council, on Friday evening, rescued a motorcycle rider from suspected gunmen.
One of the vigilantes, who craved anonymity, said the incident happened around 6:57 p.m. when they ran into a gang of the hoodlums, who attempted to escape with a brand new motorcycle belonging to the victim.
“It was when they sighted us coming that they abandoned the motorcycle and fled into the bush, while the motorcycle owner, who sustained some injuries after they pushed him from the bike, was lying by the road side,’’ he said.
He said the victim was taken to a clinic at the village for treatment, while his motorcycle was handed over to him.

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