Gang rape saga: Police abort women’s protest in Abia

Posted by admin Abia, Headlines, State News Thursday, October 6th, 2011

Civil Liberty Organization (CLO), and women’s group from the South-eastern states, comprising over 300 persons, yesterday stormed Abia State Government House in three mini buses , in readiness to protest peacefully against the gang-rape of a female student by five young men, which allegedly took place in the state university. They were, however, tactically diverted to the Central Police Station, (CPS), Umuahia, by a female Divisional Police Officer, (DPO).

Before they could alight from the buses, the DPO ordered them to hold their peace, before asking them, “Women, why are you people in Abia? And before they could take a breath to answer her, she added, “you will go to CPS and tell us why,” one of the women told Daily Sun. According to her, in a jiffy, they found themselves in the premises of the CPS along Bende Road, Umuahia, where the DPO told them that the Governor, Chief Theodore Orji did not want them in his state.

When Daily Sun visited the CPS, the women, who were led to the peaceful demonstration by a female human rights activist, Nma Odih were seen sitting on the grass, while their leader, Nma went up to hold talks with the Police authorities. When eventually she came out from the office of the police, she was escorted back to where the women were sitting, by a top police officer, who addressed the women and told them that they would be escorted out of the state to the borders by police operatives.
Speaking, the police officer, who did not want to be identified said the Police were aware that the women came as concerned citizens of the South-east , adding that so far the investigation carried out by the force had not established that the incident took place in Abia State.

“What we are here for is to fight crimes like this. We have mothers, daughters, sisters etc and we would not like this type of thing to happen to them. So, we are appealing to you to go in peace and we are inviting anybody, who has any information or evidence to come forward and give such to the Police so that we can arrest the culprits,” the Police officer told the women. In her own reaction, the leader of the group, Nma Odih said they would not disobey the order of the Police. “We are going to respect the Police and go. We are praying that God should fish out those who committed this crime and punish them. They said the governor does not want us in Umuahia, that we are creating bad image for Abia.

“What we are saying is that this is evil that is going on in Igboland and that it will not continue and we are calling on him to fish out the miscreants and punish them. We are on a rescue mission and we have done our private investigations, which is the reason why we are here.
“The students are aware that this thing happened here in Uturu and now the police want to escort us out of the state.

-Sunwp_posts