15-year-old Ability Aniefiok Udeme will forever sing praises to God for His mercy and grace that made her literally return home from an horrendous journey to the land of the dead.
She woke up on Tuesday, August 18, hale and hearty, with the hope of having a blissful day; engrossed in high expectation that soon, she would be of age and achieve her aspirations.
Life, for her, had not been a bed of roses as she had at her tender age, faced and surmounted a chain of unpleasant experiences. But she was determined to turn around whatever came her way and become a successful woman in her dream career.
For reasons she could not comprehend, her uncle, Asuquo Udobong Aniefiok, had turned a wedge on her path to savouring comfort, denying her joy and peace in his bid to use her as a love making machine.
On several occasions, he had attempted to rape her; ferocious in all instances, which she narrowly escaped by the skin of her teeth. He had become an albatross on her neck.
When life became hellish for her, Ability resolved to spill the bean. She raised the alarm whenever her uncle attempted to forcefully have carnal knowledge of her, but eventually paid heavily for doing so.
For exposing his illicit desire, Asuquo, aged 38, lured her on Tuesday, August 18, to a nearby bush along Ekabot Farm road at Camp One, Mbarakom, Akamkpa Local Government area of Cross River State where they reside, and gave her severe machete cuts on her head and neck.
With blood gushing out of the deep cuts, Ability laid motionless. Then, she reportedly opened her eyes, muttered some inaudible words and went blank.
Thinking she was dead, Asuquo walked home triumphantly, convinced that it was a mission accomplished with precision and without a trace. But he was mistaken as Ability was spotted and rescued by a Good Samaritan and rushed to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) where she was revived and still undergoing treatment.
Her case was promptly reported to the police by Francis Inyang Inyang, a resident of Camp One, Wilmar Palms Estate, Mbarakom, following which Asuquo was arrested and detained.
Confirming the incident, a senior police officer at the command headquarters in Calabar who craved anonymity, said detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) had taken over investigation into the case.
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