On Monday 27th Of January 2020 we got a distress call from a young girl in Enugu state that she was raped by a certain Uchenna Emenike. We immediately got to the victim that night and took her to the police station where she made a complaint and arrest was effected
On the alleged Rapist. The following day we took the victim to to the hospital for medical examination and the doctor confirmed that she was indeed raped. That same morning we started receiving calls from the area commander, and the inspector in charge of the case begging us to
bring the victim for negotiation, the victim vehemently refused. Subsequently, they requested that the victim comes for interview with the area commander.We kindly told them that the victim will be available the following day since she was still very much down and in trauma
On the said day the police and the perpetrators family came down to our office begging for peace and saying that they do not want the matter to go to court. We told them that it is no longer in our hands, that the victim is an adult and wants the matter to be charged accordingly.
The Area commander, and some inspectors at the Abakpa station started calling the lawyer that accompanied the victim to make her statement and trying to intimidate her. The lawyer assured them that the girl will definitely visit the station as promised
To our Dismay, the police came down to our office about 5 officers with out their uniform and requested to see the lawyer that brought the girl to the station. We told them that lawyer is not disposed and our Head of Legal offered to follow them to the station
While they wait for the victim who was already on her way to the station. To our greatest suprise, the Police officers started forcefully entering all the rooms in our office building and searching for the lawyer who accompanied the girl. They found her in a meeting
They started dragging her and hitting her despite plea by the other staff of the office to leave her alone as she was not in any way a criminal. The police officers proceeded to seizing the lawyers phone and that of anyone who tried to record or video them.
Mind you, this was 5 police officers trying to wrongly arrest a young female lawyer. In the process they injured some of our staff and destroyed out properties. They got to the station with the Lawyer and the HOD of legal unit. Where they parents of the alleged rapist
together with the police officers started reigning abuse on the both lawyers and forcing the young lawyer to write a statement and also call the victim to come and make a statement that her allegations were false.
They proceeded to start removing the young lawyers cloth and when she pleaded with them to get medical help as she was having breathing difficulty they turned a deaf ear until she fainted. Even after she fainted they did not do anything until our lawyer came to the station
This was almost 15 minutes later. They seized our Lawyers phone too but he insisted that on getting it. The young lawyer was rushed to the National orthopaedic hospital cold and almost lifeless. They went ahead to detain the victim in the heat of all this.
The Nigerian police Abakpa division over stepped their boundaries this time and we at WACOL is ready to make sure that everyone involved in this matter is duly prosecuted. We can't be silenced
@UNDPnigeria @Actionaidnigeria @UNwomen @ProfOsinbajo @HerStoryOSNG
#BreakTheSilence
@UNDPnigeria @Actionaidnigeria @UNwomen @ProfOsinbajo @HerStoryOSNG
#BreakTheSilence
