Beauty Pageant Organiser in Bayelsa Arrested for Allegedly Raping One of his Contestants

The Police in Bayelsa State has arrested a Beauty Pageant Organiser, Ambassador Richard Franklin, for allegedly abusing a teenage model sexually.

Ambassador Richard, organiser of the Bayelsa Kiddies Pageant BKP is alleged to be a serial rapist of potential models and beauty contestants and his escapades are said to have being reported to police divisions in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, with non of the victims pushing for prosecution until he met with his waterloo.

The victim‎ Ebi Gesiere, an indigene of Ammassoma community in Southern Ijaw Local Government area of Bayelsa State, narrated that on September 25, she secured a form to contest the Miss Bayelsa Teen pageant and the Miss Tourism Pageant. That during the audition, she met the manager of the event, Richard Franklin who asked her to meet him at his office situated at Opili Plaza near the NUJ press centre for a photo shoot.

She further said that despite her schedule to attend her church service, she went, and on getting to the place, he locked the door and asked her to pull her clothes and put on another for the photo shoot.

“When I pulled, he asked me to pull my undies but I declined."
“He hit me with iron rod and threatened to throw me from the three story building."
“He threatened to lock me in and hand me over to boys to defile me. He later had his way with the iron rod pointed close to my eyes,”
the victim was quoted as saying.

The suspect was arrested outside Skippers Fast Food close to Hospital Junction in the heart of Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital.

The suspected rapist was said to have been arrested following a petition filed by the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA, led by Barr. Dise Ogbise Erhisere after the victims mother went to them for help.

Investigations carried out by the FIDA further showed that though the police divisions in the state had received series of petitions bordering on rape and assault against Franklin, some senior police officers had reportedly covered up the investigation and allowed him walk free with the aledged rapist bragging about it to his victims.

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