New Telegraph

Rape: Rights group petition Ugwuanyi over detention of victim’s guardian

Four civil society groups in Enugu State have petitioned Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi over the detention of a complainant in a rape case of a 16-year-old girl.

 

The civil rights groups are seeking the governor’s intervention to prevail on police to free the detainee and a relation to the victim, who was gang raped by five suspects. Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Parent-Child Intervention Center, and Center for the Victims of Extra-Judicial Killings and Torture (CVEKT AFRICA) wrote the petition.

 

The coalition recalled that following earlier petition to the governor, dated December 1, 2020 in the case of the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl by a gang of five rapists. “Our letter was prompted by the delay and/or neglect by the police to investigate our petition.

 

Your Excellency promptly responded by directing the petition to the DSS for investigation. “We are informed that consequent upon your directive, the DSS arrested the chief mastermind of the rape, (name withheld), in furtherance of investigation.

 

“Then, the wife of the arrested rape mastermind went to the same Area Command, Enugu that failed to investigate our petition and reported that her husband had been kidnapped by the guardian of the rape victim, an Okada rider. “We were informed that the guardian of the victim, Ejike Eze was arrested in his house this morning by policemen from Area Command, Enugu for kidnapping the principal suspect in the rape case.

 

 

“The Department of State Services (DSS), has called the Area Commander, AC Sheyi and informed them that the principal suspect purported to have been kidnapped is with them, undergoing interrogation at their office, yet, the Police are still detaining the man for kidnapping a suspect in DSS cell. The hunter has now become the hunted,” the petition stated.

 

The civil rights groups sought the intervention of Governor Ugwuanyi to ensure that “the negligent police officers” who allegedly refused to arrest the rapists but were quick to arrest the guardian of the victim release the innocent man.

 

The leadership of the coalition groups Olu Omotayo (Esq.), President (CRRAN); Okechukwu Nwanguma Executive Director (RULAAC); Peggy Chukwuemeka, Executive Director (Parent-Child Intervention Center); and Frank Agu Kalu Agu, Director Southeast Operations (CVEKT AFRICA), signed the petition.

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