Policemen who allegedly raped a widow for not wearing face mask have been summoned, case transferred to SCID

Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, has transferred the case of alleged rape of a 32-year-old widow by a policeman to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID.

The victim had alleged that Inspector Peter Iba, one of a four-man police team, had raped her throughout Tuesday night “at gunpoint” in a guest house.

She said he moved her to the guest house after the team arrested her at Sakpenwan, Tai Local Government Area, for not wearing a nose mask, while in transit on a Port Harcourt-bound vehicle from Bori.

CP Mukan, on Thursday, opened investigations into the matter, summoning the four-man police team and the victim, and transferring the case file to the SCID after hearing from both parties.

Police spokesman, Rivers Command, SP Nnamdi Omoni, said: “The CP ordered the matter investigated. She (victim) made her statement on Wednesday and Thursday we were at Tai Police Station.

“Unfortunately, the men that had an encounter with the lady are not from Tai Police Station, as she insinuated. They were, rather, from Mobile Police Base 56 at Bori.

“Today (Thursday) all the parties were here. After hearing from them, the matter is being investigated. CP has directed the transfer of case file to SCID for further investigations, at the end of which the report will be made public.

“They (suspects) made a lot of denials and confessions, but the investigations will reveal what happened. “Witnesses will be involved, the scene of the crime visited and other things to follow in the course of investigations.”

He added that the “accused officers were with the Rivers Police Command. Definitely they will be invited to the SCID and we will keep the public informed.”

Her story

The raped widow had alleged that the policeman abducted her on Tuesday to a guest house, where he raped her at gunpoint after arresting her for not wearing a nose mask.

She said: “I was returning from Bori to Port Harcourt, when I met some police officers at a checkpoint. They arrested me for not wearing a nose mask.

“They kept me long there with them. Thereafter, they carried me from one place to the other, claiming they want to take me to the police station, but never took me to any police station.

“After some time, they took me to a guest house where one of them raped me till dawn. His name is Inspector Peter Iba of Sakpenwa Police Station.”  (Vanguard)