There was commotion in Okuni community, Ikom LGA of Cross River state on Tuesday after more than 1000 women took to the streets, protesting the alleged gang-raping of a woman at gunpoint in her husband’s presence.
According to The Punch, some gunmen had on November 6, 2017, invaded a cocoa plantation and stole 12 bags of cocoa before descending on one of the wives of the farmer and raping her into unconsciousness.
The women said they had immediately taken the case to the Ikom Police Station and the main culprit was arrested after he was physically identified by the victim.
He was allegedly later released on bail.
However, one of the protesters, Grace Tam, said when the case was brought up in court, in early March 2018, the culprit was charged for only robbery and rape was missing.
Also, a medical report that confirmed that the victim was raped also allegedly got missing.
The protesters lamented that the alleged culprit, who could have identified other culprits, was released on bail and the removal of rape from the charge.
They appealed to the Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa, to revisit the case and ensure justice is served.
The Cross River Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo said, “We all know that rape is a grievous offence. When it was initially reported to the police, the suspect was arrested and a medical report showed that it was a rape case.
“But along the line, we did not know what happened. We later discovered that the suspect was released and it led to the removal of the DPO by the Commissioner of Police. Of course, after then, people started alleging that the police had collected money.
“As of today, the CP has directed that the suspect should be rearrested and tried in court.”
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