Controversy now trails the expulsion of three male students over the alleged gang rape of a female student by the Rivers State College of Health Science and Management Technology even as an advocacy group, the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, has called on the Rivers State Police Command to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the culprits to book.
The Secretary, Board of Trustees of the group, Prince Wiro, in a statement, in Port Harcourt, disclosed that information available to the group suggests that the three male students: Ferdinand Bruce Gospel, Chim Gozirim Sunday Steve and Nadum Sampson, all in final year, were arrested by the institution’s security operatives but failed to hand over the suspects to the police prior to their expulsion.
Wiro disclosed that during an interview by the group, one of the students accused of participating in the gang rape, Sunday Steve, indicated that the students were not invited by the police, and therefore, were not given fair hearing.
He, therefore, called on the police to investigate the matter with a view to unravelling the level of culpability of the expelled students, and if found wanting, the suspects should be made to face the law.
Wiro asserted that allegation of rape cannot be investigated and concluded by the school authorities without recourse to the police, considering the magnitude and nature of the alleged crime.
However, Sunday Steve, has absolved himself and the other two students of any involvement or complicity in the alleged crime.
In an interview, Sunday Steve maintained that they did not gang-rape ‘Bianca’ or any other female student in the institution contrary to claims by the school management that the female student was gang-raped inside the boys’ hostel.
He explained that the moment the matter was reported, the security outfit in the school arrested him and another accused student, and allegedly subjected them to severe torture without telling them what offence they had committed.
Sunday Steve said they were later released after hours of detention by the school security personnel.
He stated that the school did not give them fair hearing and they were not invited by the police for interrogation.
In his reaction, the Provost of the institution, Prof Franklin Nlerum, maintained that the college followed due process in the expulsion of the students, and also gave them the opportunity to defend themselves.
Nlerum claimed that the matter was also reported to the Divisional Police Headquarters at Sani Abacha Road, in the Phase 3 axis of the New GRA, Port Harcourt.
A statement signed by the Registrar of the institution, Kuapie Ndee-Ue, which was made available to The Tide, read: “The academic board at the 57th regular meeting held on Thursday, December 17, 2020, approved the expulsion of the following students from the college for their involvement in rape and cultism with immediate effect.
“Ferdinand Bruce Gospel (EMT/17/096) Department of Emergency Medical Technology Year 3; Chim Gozirim Sunday Steve (HIM/17/038) Department of Health Information Year 3; and Nadum Sampson, DS/16/024 Department of Dental Surgery Technician Year 3”.
The statement directed that “the students should not be seen around the campus for any reason or occasion, and the expulsion tag should be written expressly on each of the expelled student’s column in the result sheets to prevent any attempt to release their results or subsequent release of the certificate to the culprits. All Deans of schools, Heads of Department, Exams and Records, ICT unit are to ensure strict compliance to the directive”.

By: Susan Serekara-Nwikhana