Abba Kyari Mohammed is accused of raping the woman on Saturday, April 4, in Umulungbe Community, Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State.
The victim and another woman had gone into the farms to pick cashew nuts when they were allegedly attacked by the Mohammed. He allegedly used a stick to flog them.
One of the women escaped and ran to alert the villagers who came out to the farm in their numbers.
Mohammed was still on the farm when they arrived and they beat him up. He would have been lynched if security operatives had not intervened.
The villagers allege that Mohammed raped the 68-year-old woman before they arrived. They also accused him of being a Fulani herdsman.
An eye witness, one Chikeokwu, said the women were attacked by three men but only Abba Kyari Mohammed was caught. He added that he was drinking at a pub opposite the police division at Umulungbe when the suspect was brought to the police.
He said: "The rape victim is from Lett Village. They were two in the farm when the herdsmen attacked them. One of the women ran away."
He added that the woman left on the farm "was in a pool of blood when she was rescued."
The eye witness also claims that the leaders of the Fulani herdsmen camping in the community were summoned. However, they denied knowing the suspect and claimed that he and his gang, who were at large, might have sneaked into the community.
However, the Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe dismissed the claims of the attacker being a Fulani herdsman.
The suspect was arrested and taken for treatment for the wounds inflicted on him by the villagers. The 68-year-old woman was also taken to the hospital for treatment.
Ndukwe added that the suspect has been transferred from 9th Mile Police Division to the State Criminal Investigation Department for thorough investigation and prosecution.
The administrator of Ojebe Ogene Development Centre in Udi LGA and native of Umulungbe, Mike Ngwuede, confirmed the incident, saying the police had taken over the matter.
He said: "I thank the Nigeria Police for quick intervention. It is unfortunate that as the world battles COVID-19, some miscreants can still commit this act."
The chairman of Udi LGA, Ifeanyi Agu, said the act was condemnable.
"Prior to my swearing in as council chairman, I consulted widely to ensure absolute security of lives and property in Udi LGA. We have the state’s security committee that has been very active. We also have our Forest Guards and neighbourhood watch." he said
"I personally advocate farming for our people because of the relative peace in our area. But what happened indicates that we need to re-strengthen our security apparatus to ensure that such never occurred again
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