You are here: > News and Reports > National Point: Reporting human rights abuses in the Delta

National Point: Reporting human rights abuses

Policeman In Trouble For Raping Female Detainee

The noose is gradually tightening around the neck of a Police officer, Mr. Friday Ogboma who raped a female inmate inside a Police cell in Delta state, inflicting injuries on her private part. The officer has already been found guilty in an orderly trial and his uniform removed. He is presently standing trial at the Magistrate Court, Isele Uku, Delta State. On Thursday, May 21 when the matter came up for hearing, a Police officer testified against the accused, saying that he confessed to him that he had done something to the girl. The witness told the court that he was on morning duty on that fateful day and handed over to his colleague for night duty. The witness told the Court that in the morning, he received a call from his colleague who told him that he had done something to the girl and that the girl was bleeding and needed to be taken to the clinic for treatment. National Point gathered that the problem started on April 16, 2008 when the Police man defiled the 16 year old girl after chaining her hands and weakening her with teargas. The young girl was arrested and accused of stealing fire woods, an accusation which National Point gathered may have been fabricated. The girl was arrested along with another girl who was later released on bail, remaining only the rape victim whose mother, a widow, was not able to raise any money for her bail. It was gathered that being alone and helpless in the cell, the Police man, Friday wanted to capitalise on her loneliness and helplessness and first pleaded with her at night to make love with him. The girl was said to have vehemently refused before the officer, then on night duty, applied force, using both teargas and handcuff to subdue the girl. He later took her to the hospital based on the advice given to him by his colleagues he alerted when he found out that the girl was bleeding. She was still held at the police cell, Onicha Ugbo Police station until the third day when the mother of the girl cried to the traditional ruler of Onicha Ugbo, who intervened  and rescued the girl. the officer was said to have promised to settle the girl, saying that nothing would happen.   It was gathered that initially, the Delta state Police command tried to sweep the case under the carpet. “When the traditional ruler complained to the Police Commissioner, he refused to carry out any investigation”, sources told this publication. The matter would have been successfully swept under the carpet but for the intervention of an NGO called Women of Compassion World wide led by Mrs. Joy Anthony four months later. “When we confronted the Police Commissioner, the District Officer of Onicha Ugbo and the DPO of Isele Ukwu, they denied, saying that such a thing did not happen. The Station Officer who tried to expose the matter died mysteriously, ”, a source told National Point. But the Women with Compassion worldwide, angry over the attitude of the Police officers, wrote a petition and on the strength of the Petition, Friday was removed from Onicha Ugbo and transferred to Isele Uku and later Olona. At Olona, the Police Commissioner ordered investigation of the matter and in the process of investigation, it was gathered that he owned up to having committed the crime. But they later reduced the charge from rape to indecent assault, saying that he only fingered her. Mrs Anthony disclosed that he has been struggling to wriggle himself out of the case, having been dismissed from the force. “On Nov 20 when the matter came up, two of his lawyers approached us with N1.5 million for us to withdraw the matter, but we ignored them”, she told this publication. On July 7, 2009 when the matter came up again, the Police officer who was to give evidence as a Prosecuting Witness was not in Court the matter could not proceed. But it was later discovered that he was not informed of the adjourned date by the prosecutors who were hell bent on helping his colleague evade justice.

Meanwhile, National Point gathered that the girl, then in JSS 2 was forced to withdraw from school following the trauma that the rape brought to her. It was gathered that her late father was a retired Police officer in that same Station where the girl was detained and defiled. From investigations, it was gathered that her arrest was engineered by one Mrs Rose Adankwo for whom the girl’s mother was doing farm works in exchange for few cassavas and sometimes cash. The poor woman has 8 children to cater for.  Problem started when the rape victim’s mother started working for another person in addition to Mrs. Adankwo. This angered Rose and she vowed to deal with her, to teach her some lessons. Few days after the threat, Rose whose relation was said to be a retired Police Commissioner, arranged the arrest of the girl. She was trailed on her way to the farm, arrested with empty wheel barrow and accused of stealing of firewood.

| Print | Return |

Police Loot Woman's Property, Dump Her In Prison For Failing To Pay Bribe - Thu, 2 Sep 2010

From National Point Newspaper: For daring to ask the Police to return her household property carted away from her room rather than offering bribe to reclaim them, a woman has been dumped in prison custody on trumped up charges of conspiracy and murder of two men.

Enforced Disappearance: Woman Begs Amaechi To Produce Her Uncle's Son - Thu, 2 Sep 2010

From National Point Newspaper: Months after the invasion of Bundu-Ama community by a combined team of military and policemen at the assumed request of the governor, Rotimi Amaechi, residents of the troubled waterfront community are still counting their losses.

Freedom At Last: Back From The House Of Slavery - Thu, 2 Sep 2010

From National Point Newspaper: To Harrison Nkemdilim Robinson, a 27 year old Rumuekpe youth and 7 other Rumuekpe people dumped in Port Harcourt prison since 2007, July 9, 2010 was a day of freedom. That was the day they bade the four thick walls and iron gates of the prison good bye, nearly three months after an incarceration they insist was unjust.

I Was Chained And Beaten By The Police - Thu, 2 Sep 2010

From National Point Newspaper: For daring to organise a peaceful protest in his community to demand justice and peaceful co-existence among the members of the community as well as call on the political class to stop arming youths of the community.

Amaechi Has Pushed Us Into Terrible Hardship - Thu, 2 Sep 2010

From National Point Newspaper: To many of the displaced residents of Njemanze community demolished by Governor Rotimi Amaechi to pave way for Silverbird Cinema Centre, life after the forceful displacement has been a harrowing experience. Reliving their post-eviction experience s during a press conference organised at Abonnema Wharf community.

Ogoni Women Arrested over Shell’s Trial in New York - Wed, 10 Jun 2009

Over 60 Ogoni people on Tuesday, May 26, 2009 were arrested by the JTF in Bori and detained at the Bori Police station. The arrested persons, mostly women, in five buses, were on their way to Bane, the home town of the late Ken Saro Wiwa, the Ogoni martyr, to participate in the jubilation that greeted the trial of Shell in far away New York over its roles in the judicial murder of Saro Wiwa in 1995. The buses conveying them were intercepted by members of the JTF and taken to the police station for detention.

Policeman In Trouble For Raping Female Detainee - Mon, 8 Jun 2009 The noose is gradually tightening around the neck of a Police officer, Mr. Friday Ogboma who raped a female inmate inside a Police cell in Delta state.

Another Victim of Police Extortion Cries Out For Justice - Sat, 6 Jun 2009

A young man, Benjamin Nwosu,  27, who was arrested, detained for about three days and later released on payment of 15000 has cried out for justice saying that he was unjustly detained, robbed and punished.

Police Ransack Nigerian news offices and brutalise staff - Mon, 20 Apr 2009

The offices of the Rivers State Newspaper Corporation, publishers of the Tide Newspapers, were on Thursday, April 2, 2009, ransacked by rampaging armed policemen from the Mile Police Station. Several persons, including journalists, clients and visitors were said to have been brutalised by the policemen, while properties, including glass windows, doors, tables and chairs were damaged.

Rivers Police Torture Innocent Youth To Death Over Land Dispute - Fri, 20 Mar 2009

An atmosphere of tension and anger has enveloped Egbeda community in Emohua LGA following the death of a 25- year- old secondary school leaver, Friday Isinwor, in the hands of policemen attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.