Details of restorative or compensatory measures for an unnamed 17 year old girl, who was at the centre of an alleged rape case are not given, but a female Police Inspector, Edith Uduma, and a Sergeant, Abraham Uzuobo, were dismissed for their ignominious role in the saga. Uduma’s husband, an Inspector, was also demoted to the rank of a Sergeant.
However, in all its responses and reactions to alleged blackmail, the Police has been mute on the fate of the teenage victim. There has been no word on measures to deal with the traumatic experience she went through or if the Force will compensate her for her ordeal in its custody.
The story, as told by the Police, is a benumbing one. A police Sergeant brought a 17 years old girl out from a detention cell and proceeded to allegedly rape her. While in the act, a policewoman Inspector, Uduma, chanced in on them, and rather than play a law enforcement and motherly role, proceeded to do a video recording of the incident for selfish, monetary gain.
Said Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement of the incident that took place in a police station in South Ibie area of Edo State: “A thorough investigation into the matter conducted by the Edo State Police Command uncovered that the Police Sergeant, identified as Sgt Abraham Uzuobo, had removed the victim from the cell and taken her to an unoccupied office, where he attempted to engage in sexual acts with her.
“During the act, Uduma walked in and recorded it. However, instead of immediately making a documented entry on the matter in the Incident Record of the Station which was under her charge, and thereafter reporting the incident to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for disciplinary actions to be initiated against the erring officer, she took advantage of the situation to enrich herself by calling her husband, Ibrahim Mohammed, who was also a Police Inspector, both of whom conspired to unlawfully demand the sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000) from the Sergeant to assist him in concealing the matter.
“However, the Sergeant offered only N45,000 in cash which they collected at that instance and after a few days, contacted the Sergeant to request the same sum of N1,000,000, but the Sergeant refused to comply. Dissatisfied by his refusal to follow through with the blackmail, they decided to report the erring officer to the DPO and also simultaneously share the video on social media.”
He said that everyone guilty in the case has been sanctioned appropriately as there is no intention to impede justice.
Adejobi noted that the erring Sergeant has been dismissed and prosecuted and is currently in prison custody as the trial progresses.
“Inspector Edith Uduma was also dismissed for her role, while her complicit husband has been reduced to the rank of Sergeant.
“However, it has come to the attention of the Force that following her dismissal, Mrs Edith has made numerous unfounded claims regarding her innocence and has sought to taint the reputation and integrity of the adjudicating authority, the Inspector-General of Police in person, and the entire Police Force.
It is imperative to set the record straight and provide clear context regarding her actions and the decision to dismiss her from service.”
“The dismissal of former Police Inspector Edith Uduma was not only justified but necessary, based on thorough investigations that presented irrefutable evidence of her failure to follow standard incident report protocol to immediately document the incident, attempt to conceal an offender for benefit, participation in extortion and manipulating the justice process for personal gain.
“The Nigeria Police Force, under the leadership of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun stands firmly against any form of misconduct, particularly in cases of such grave nature involving vulnerable victims.
“The Force maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward corruption, blackmail, and any behavior that seeks to pervert the cause of justice.
“The actions of the dismissed officer were in direct violation of the values and standards upheld by the Nigeria Police Force, and other extant laws of Nigeria.”
“The Nigeria Police Force is committed to transparency and accountability. The Force remains resolute in its mission to uphold the law and protect the rights of all individuals.
“We urge members of the public to disregard the sponsored publications against the stance of the Force, and remain vigilant and support legitimate initiatives aimed at achieving justice, rather than being led astray by baseless claims from those seeking to deflect responsibility for their actions.”
Recall that at the weekend, in a report, published by The Punch, Inspector Edith Uduma, threatened to kill herself and her children following her dismissal.
She accused the Edo state police command of unjustly dismissing her, saying the public had not also heard her side of the story.
Uduma denied the allegations of extortion insisting she never extorted money and that she was not given a fair hearing. She alleged that her dismissal was orchestrated because she lacked influential connections.
“What the Edo Command is saying is not what happened. They know I have no rank or support to fight back,” Uduma said.
“I want justice. My dismissal is unjust,” she said tearfully.
She said her husband had no connection to the matter.
“He (my husband) used to bring something for me to eat. He brought food that time to the station.
“If Nigerians refuse to listen to me – because my husband has been in detention, and they have been looking for me to arrest me, to charge me to court – if Nigeria refuses to listen to me, I will just poison all my children and myself. I will die. Because I’m just stranded like this,” she said, noting she had been in hiding and had not seen her children in a long time due to the incident.
She alleged that the DPO at the station prompted her to ask Sergeant Abraham for the N1m for negotiation when the sergeant reportedly disappeared after the incident, noting that this was to lure the suspect to show up.
According to her, she is surprised how the DPO and other officers allegedly turned the matter against her.
“If the police force can do this to a police officer, how much more to the innocent and civilians?”
Last Friday, according to The Punch, a human rights group, Take It Back Movement, petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over what it described as the unjust dismissal of the female police officer and reduction in rank of her husband for reporting the alleged rape case.
The petition titled, “Petition For Review and Reinstatement, Unjust Dismissal From Nigeria Police Force” was released by the TIB Abuja branch and signed by the Federal Capital Teriitory Coordinator of the group, Robert Ande.
“We humbly submit this petition to seek your intervention in the gross injustice perpetrated against Mrs Edith Uduma and her husband (Mohamed Ibrahim) with Force No.: AP/NO 228652 by the Edo State Police Command.
“Her dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force and the deduction of the rank of her husband from (Inspector to CPL) was unjust, and we request a thorough review of her case,” the petition read in part.
“Instead of commending her actions, she was dismissed, and her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Muhammad, was arrested and detained,” the group added, adding that the command’s action was capable of “hindering investigations and protecting the perpetrator of the rape.”
