The Rivers State Police Command has paraded two suspects in connection with the gang rape of a 21-year old 100 Level student of Ignatius Ajuru University of Education.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Nnamdi Omoni while parading the suspects, said the matter was reported at Rumuolumeni Police Station, and investigation into the incident began immediately.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan had ordered that the matter be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for thorough investigation.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that some students in a particular Hostel C in the boys’ hostel in the university were notorious for raping and assaulting women.
Omoni said efforts were on to arrest the third suspect, who also raped the student, but escaped when he discovered that the police were his trail.
He said that the command would do everything necessary to arrest the fleeing suspect, and make him face judgement.
The two suspects also confessed to creating hole in the room wall to peep through to see female students during the act while others queued up to watch.
The 21-year old victim, whose name was given simply as Christabel, also narrated her ordeal to newsmen in Port Harcourt, last Friday.
Christabel said that on October 13, 2020, she was heading outside the gate to charge her phone when she met one of the suspects, Destiny Nnamdi, and they chatted.
She said that he took her to the hostel to charge her phone, and persuaded her into having sex, adding that as soon as they were done with, he left the room shortly after.
Two of the suspects arrested in connection to the gang-rape are 18-year old Destiny Nnamdi and 16-year old Henry Ovunda Nsirim.
However, both students denied raping the victim, saying that what they had with the victim was consensual sex because she had agreed to have sex in Block C, Room 20, with them.
Destiny said when they got to the room, he appealed to Christabel for sex, and she agreed, adding that after they had had fun, he went away to allow her continue charging her phone but was surprised when the CSO called him to come back and clear his name on the alleged rape of Christabel on October 14, 2020.
He claimed that on getting to the CSO’s office, he was arrested for conspiracy.
Also speaking, Henry Ovunda from Oroigwe in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, said he had been chatting with Christabel and asking her for sex because of the rumours making the round in the school that she was a soft target for sexual exploits.
He noted that he surprised to see her having sex with Destiny as he peeped through the hole, and that when Destiny was done, he also entered the room, and chatted her into having sex.
He said he did not know that a third person was waiting to proceed into the room and to do the same thing with Christabel.
In its reaction, a civil society organisation, the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, condemned the alleged gang-rape of Christabel by three male students of the institution at a hostel inside the university.
The Acting State Secretary of the group, Mary Prince, called on the police to ensure thorough investigation into the incident, and anyone found culpable made to face the law.
She said, “As an organization, we have gotten in touch with the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Ozo-Ndemele Mekuri, and the President of Student Union Government, to stress the need for Justice in the matter.
Mary commended the vice chancellor, and the President of Students Union Government (SUG) for ensuring the arrest of two suspects and handing them over to the police.
She urged students of the institution to focus on their studies, and shun acts inimical to their academic pursuit.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Ozo-Ndemele Mekuri, in a text message said, “We have arrested two of the suspects and handed them over to police. We are still searching for the third. Meanwhile, the real occupants of the room have been sent out of the hostel”.
Earlier, the Management of the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, had suspended three male students who gang-raped one of their female colleagues in the hostel.
A statement by the university listed the students as Nnamdi Destiny, a Political Science student, with Matriculation Number: UE/2018/Pol. Sc./B.Sc/0062; Ovunwo J. Henry, a 100-Level student of Sociology Dept; and one Samuel Valentine, another Political Science student, with Matriculation Number: UE/2017/Pol.Sc/B.Ed 4/0259, now at-large.
While promising to arrest the third student, the university said that the matter has been referred to Students’ Disciplinary Committee to decide their fate, adding that the room where the crime was committed has been sealed off, and all occupants driven out of the hostel.
The statement noted that the registrar of the university has been directed to issue a memo banning inter-sex visits at any time of the day, adding that, “Any student found guilty of visiting the opposite sex in the hostel, no matter the time of the day, puts himself/herself and the occupants of such a room at HIGH RISK”.