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Face Mask: Police To Prosecute Randy Officer For Alleged Rape Of 35-Yr-Old Widow
The Rivers State Police Command has vowed to prosecute the police officer who allegedly raped a 35-year-old widow for not wearing a face mask in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers state.
The spokesperson of the command, SP Nnamdi Omoni, stated this while speaking to journalists in his office in Port Harcourt, last Wednesday, saying that the officer would be charged to court if found culpable of the crime.
According to Omoni, “The matter is receiving adequate attention.
“The lady has just made her statement and efforts are on to unveil the identities of the officers alleged to have been involved in the act, for necessary action.
“We appeal for calm, to allow the law to take its full course.”
According to him, investigation in the matter is ongoing and receiving serious attention of the command.
It would be recalled that last Tuesday, a 35-year-old widow, who pleaded anonymity, was allegedly raped and assaulted by a police officer identified as Inspector Peter Ebah, serving at the Saakpenwaa Police Division in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State.
An SOS message from the woman to her contacts had alerted the public about her predicament.
It was gathered that some of the contacts had made frantic efforts to enlist the swift response of authorities of the command.
The widow, while narrating her ordeal to journalists at the command headquarters in Port Harcourt, said that the accused police officer forcefully abducted and raped her after she was arrested for not wearing a nose mask on her way to Port Harcourt from Bori.
She disclosed that the said inspector, who detained her in the police vehicle for several hours despite pleadings from her co-passengers, tricked her that they were taking her to the Tai Police Station.
She further explained the officer suddenly diverted to a guest house, adding that the first guest house did not attend to him but the second hotel did.
The mother of two said, “When I was returning from Bori to Port Harcourt, I met some police officers at a checkpoint. They arrested me for not wearing a nose mask. They kept me there with them.
“Thereafter, they carried me from one place to the other, claiming they wanted to take me to the police station but never took me to any police station.
“After some time, they took me to a guest house where one of them raped me till dawn.
“The incident happened in the company of three other officers in the vehicle, and l was arrested while coming back from Bori to Eleme at 5pm, yesterday (Tuesday) but was detained till 10 pm before I was tricked to the guest house”, she added.
Meanwhile, some human rights organizations have given two days ultimatum to the Rivers State Police Command to produce the police officer to face the wrath of the law.
Speaking in Port Harcourt in response to questions on the matter, former national spokesman, Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, Henry Ekine, expressed optimism that the Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, would use this case to show his zero-tolerance to human rights abuses by his officers.
On his part, Chairman, Rivers State Civil Society Organizations, Enefaa Georgewill, said the incident should not be swept under the carpet like previous alleged offenses committed by police officers in the state.
Similarly, a human rights advocate, Prince Wiro, called on the police to immediately begin a thorough investigation into the incident, and described the action of the policeman as embarrassing and shocking.
He insisted that all the officers involved in the illegal operation must be brought to book.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.