Agency Report
Former police officer in Edo State, Inspector Edith Uduma has threatened to kill herself and her children, following her dismissal from the police force after she exposed an alleged rape incident involving a colleague.
Uduma accused the state police command of unjustly dismissing her, saying the public had not also heard her side of the story.
The female officer’s dismissal came after a viral video that she captured in October showed one Sergeant Abraham, another officer, in a compromising position with a 17-year-old girl at the police station in South Ibie area of Edo State.
Uduma was seen hurriedly wearing his trousers and querying why Edith was making a video. The girl was seen lying on a chair in the room.
It was learnt from the police that both officers were later dismissed, following an orderly room trial.
The Edo State Police Command, in a statement released in November by its Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, alleged that Uduma conspired with her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, to extort N1 million from Abraham to cover up the incident. When Abraham reportedly offered N45,000 instead, the video was leaked online, the police claimed.
The command said, “That, contrary to reports from certain quarters, the said female police officer, AP/no 228719 Inspector Edith Uduma, was the Charge Room Officer on October 7, the night F/No. 504694 Sgt Abraham allegedly raped a female suspect in the station.
“The female officer, instead of reporting the incident to the Divisional Police Officer or the Incident Duty Officer as the case may be, for disciplinary actions to be initiated against the erring officer, took advantage of the situation to enrich herself by calling her husband, AP No. 228652 Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, whom she conspired with to unlawfully demand N1 million from the sergeant to assist him in concealing the matter.
“Following these events, an orderly room trial was initiated against all the officers, which led to the dismissal of Abraham and Uduma.”
Uduma’s husband was also demoted to the rank of Sergeant.
However, Uduma denied the allegations, insisting that she never extorted money and that she was not given fair hearing. She alleged that her dismissal was orchestrated because she lacked influential connection.
Uduma, who threatened to kill herself if she does not get justice, said, “What the Edo Command is saying is not what happened. They know I have no rank or support to fight back,” Uduma said.
She revealed that the Force Headquarters in Abuja was still investigating the matter only for the Edo command to hurriedly dismiss her.
“I want justice. My dismissal is unjust,” she said tearfully.
She said her husband who was also sanctioned had no connection to the matter.
“He (my husband) used to bring something for me to eat. He brought food that time to the station.
“If Nigerians refuse to listen to me because my husband has been in detention and they have been looking for me to arrest, to charge me to court – if Nigeria refuses to listen to me, I will just poison all my children and myself. I will die. Because I am stranded like this,” she said, noting she had been in hiding and had not seen her children in a long time due to the incident.
She alleged that the DPO prompted her to ask Sergeant Ibrahim for the money for negotiation when the accused reportedly disappeared after the incident, noting that this was to lure him to show up.
According to her, she was surprised how the DPO and other officers allegedly turned the matter against her.
“If the police force can do this to a police officer, how much more to the innocent and civilians?”
Spokesperson for the Edo command, Moses Yamu, did not respond to calls and a text message put across to him on Sunday.
