Girl Raped At Gunpoint By Lagos State FSARS Policeman Delivers Baby, Recounts Ordeal

By The Nation

A 16-year-old girl, Chinelo Obadike, has accused a policeman attached to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) of abducting, raping and impregnating her.

Obadike was allegedly abducted last May 8 on her way to her sister’s place in Ojo, a Lagos suburb.

It was gathered that the policeman, identified as Henry, who was at the time serving at Ojo Division, saw the girl on the road holding a piece of paper and forcefully took her to a hotel.

Chinelo said:

“I was going to my sister’s place. She sells food at Ojo. That was when Officer Henry saw me and forced me on his motorcycle. He took me to a hotel and raped me at gun point. After that, he took me to his house and told his wife that he has brought a housemaid that would be looking after their children.

“While I was at their house, he would rape me every night when he came back from work. I was at their house for about 18 days. It was during one of the nights he came to sleep with me that his phone and N10,000 fell from his pocket. I picked them and when they had gone out the next day, I fled to the village.”

Chinelo was delivered of a baby five months ago.

Angered by her disappearance, the policeman was said to have gone to FSARS in Ikeja and reported that the girl stole N1.5million belonging to his wife, jewellery and other valuables. It was gathered that a case of robbery was opened against the girl, prompting FSARS operatives to track her to her village in Anambra State.

It was gathered that Chinelo had sold the policeman’s phone while fleeing, which the police tracked to a man identified as Ekwe, who led detectives to the victim’s sisters in Lagos.

The founder, Crime Victims Foundation, Mrs. Gloria Egbuji, was notified of the matter by the victim’s family after she was allegedly detained, tortured in FSARS despite being underage and pregnant.

Mrs. Egbuji, it was learnt, intervened and the parties were invited for a meeting, where operatives of FSARS discovered there was a case of abduction and rape.

Egbuji confirmed to our correspondent that Miss Obadike was released after she got in touch with the officer in charge of FSARS, Mohammed Sanusi, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).

According to the victim’s elder sister, Chukwudumaga Obadike, Chinelo admitted before the police that she stole N10,000 and the officer’s phone when it fell from him while he was raping her.

She said Henry withdrew the case of N1.5million theft when he realised that the truth had been exposed but denied being responsible for her pregnancy.

Obadike said: “This thing happened on May 8, last year. I discovered that my sister was missing and we reported her missing at the Ajangbadi Police Station in Ojo.

“We did not know what happened until July 10 when I was arrested by policemen from Ojo Division, where officer Henry was serving. They said my sister, who I had reported missing, was wanted by the police for N1.5million theft from a policeman.

“I told them that we were looking for her and had declared her missing.The policemen went to Ajangbadi Police Station with me to ascertain if truly I reported her missing.They wanted to lock me up but I refused. They later released me by 11pm and the policemen told us to report at the station the next day.

“When I and another sister of mine called Ada went to Ojo Police Station the next day, the policemen took us to FSARS office at Ikeja. Ada and I were detained there and were asked to pay N10,000 bail each but we ended up giving them N5,000. They released us and told us to go and look for our missing sister and bring her to FSARS Ikeja.

“They tracked her to the village and brought her to Lagos. She confessed to us that she did not steal N1.5million from officer Henry’s house that it was a frameup. She was detained in FSARS cell for one week with the help of officer Henry’s brother, who worked there. The policemen did not give her food. They tortured and forced her to confess to stealing Henry’s N1.5million.”

The Nation gathered that at the meeting in FSARS, money was demanded from the policeman for the expectant girl’s upkeep and he committed to N50,000.

But along the line, Henry, it was gathered denied paying the money and said he could only raise N20,000 because his son was epileptic and had a crisis. The policeman, it was gathered, also denied paying the money for fear that it could be used as evidence against him.

Our correspondent contacted Police Commissioner Imohimi Edgal, who immediately sent for CSP Sanusi, the officers in charge of Gender and XSquad units, directing a thorough investigation into the case. He also directed that the case file be transferred to the gender unit.

CSP Sanusi said: “I do not allow underage persons to be detained in FSARS cell under my watch. Maybe they were doing that before I came but since I came here, no underage person has been detained.”

He directed our correspondent to the Investigating Police Officer (IPO), Okhide, who denied allegations of torture, starvation and maltreatment. The IPO said the teenager had marks of burns on her body, which she claimed was inflicted on her by her sister. He also said allegations of rape were made against the officer but he did not investigate it since it was not within his jurisdiction.