Gang rape saga: Abia Assembly summons police commissioner, VC

Posted by admin Abia, Headlines, Nigerian Police, State News Thursday, September 29th, 2011

The Abia State House of Assembly has summoned the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr Bala Hassan and the Vice Chancellor of Abia State University , Uturu, Prof. Chibuzo Ogbuagu , following the total outcry over the alleged gang rape of a female student by five students suspected to be students of Abia State University.

The House summoned them to come forward and brief members on what they know about the incident and what the two important figures in the state were doing about the matter. Meanwhile, the House has begun its investigation, stressing that it would get to the root of the matter.

The duo were invited following a motion of urgent importance moved by Mrs Blessing Nwagba, member representing Aba State Constituency in the House , who is also the chairman on women affairs. Nwagba, who described the incident as “degradation of womanhood” said though the university authority had denied any link with the ugly incident but “considering the bad image this case is giving Abia as a state” and as the matter “has become a national and international discuss, the House cannot keep quiet over it,” adding that the House should investigate it.

Prof. Ogbuagu, who spoke to newsmen after executive session with the House members said there was no clear cut evidence that the rape case ever took place in the university. He stressed that the institution had conducted its own investigations into the matter and that the incident never took place in the university. He further said the university’s preliminary investigation into the incident showed that the gang rape incident did not take place in the institution or by the students of the institution. He was emphatic in stating that he strongly suspected the linking of the rape case to his institution as the work of mischief makers, which he described as “monkey’s hand.”

Prof. Ogbuagu said the university had since thrown its gates open to security agencies to carry out thorough investigation and called on anybody who had any useful information on the matter to avail security operatives of such information to enable them get to the root of the matter. According to him, the institution would no longer comment on the rape issue but would only comment after the security agencies would have finished their investigation, adding that they had been trying to stop the students of the institution from going on protest march as they felt that their image had been tarnished.

The state Police Commissioner, Bala Hassan said the Police were on top of investigation into the incident and had so far made two arrests, one Zaki and one Uche, explaining that all evidences so far did not support that they were involved in the matter. Hassan said the incident could have taken place anywhere in the world and that non-appearance of the victim was also making investigation very difficult for them.

He called on the victim to show up as she would be adequately protected by security agencies.

-Sunwp_posts