12-year-old girl survives murder, two suspects held

Police last week arrested a man who allegedly attempted to kill a young girl for reasons yet to be established. Theoneste Ndwaniyishyaka, 30, was arrested for allegedly attempting to kill twelve-year-old Gisele Mugwaneza, a Primary Four pupil at Remera Catholic Primary School. Ndwaniyishyaka appeared before the prosecution Gasabo on April 2 where he was quizzed about the deep cuts and other serious bodily injuries the girl sustained. Police say that on March 29, Ndwaniyishyaka inflicted severe injuries on Mugwaneza in an unfinished house in Ruturusu Village, Rukiri Cell in Remera Sector, Gasabo District. She was saved by residents when she allegedly cried out: I brought money from home, don’t kill me. Police say when people arrived at the scene, which is a construction site, they found the victim in a critical condition. They rushed her to Kibagabaga hospital, which later transferred her to CHK where she is currently admitted. She is still unconscious but in a stable condition. According to Police Spokesman Inspector Willy Marcel Higiro, the rescuers said they did not know the girl. Police later established that the girl had come from the neighbouring Mushumba mwiza village, and that she had left home with a Frw5000 note after her parents or guardians had asked her to look for change. However, after some hours the family went out to look for the young girl, and someone told them that she had been seen in company of one Sarah Ayinkamiye, a sex worker. And when they asked Ayinkamiye about Mugwaneza’s whereabouts, she told the family that she had left her in company of the prime suspect Ndwaniyishyaka. Both Ndwaniyishyaka – who was a guard at the construction site where he allegedly attempted to kill Mugwaneza from – and Ayinkamiye are now held at Remera Police Station. Ayinkamiye accuses Ndwaniyishyaka of attempting to kill the girl but he denies it. Ayinkamiye claims that Ndwaniyishyaka had earlier requested her to get him a young girl aged at least 10 years. He told me he wanted to take that girl to a woman who had asked him to get her such girls. He told me that he would give me Frw1 million, but he would initially give me Frw25,000. Ayinkamiye said she met with Mugwaneza looking for change and, as she was trying to help her out, Ndwaniyishyaka found them together and asked her (Ayinkamiye) whether she had accomplished the mission (of finding him a young girl). She said she at had not succeeded before leaving Rwaniyishyaka and Mugwaneza together as she (Ayinkamiye) went around with the Frw5000 note looking for change. Ndwaniyishyaka claims that he only ran to rescue the screaming girl only to find her lying in a pool of blood, and that he was part of the people who rushed the pupil to the hospital. Meanwhile, Ndwaniyishyaka’s wife is said to have gone into hiding after her husband was arrested. Ndwaniyishyaka, 30, hails from Gisagara in Southern Province and has spent three years in Kigali City working as a porter. Ends

National

12-year-old girl survives murder, two suspects held