Police in blame game, fail to investigate rape of Abia varsity student

The Imo and Abia States Commands of the Nigeria Police are busy passing the bucks and engaging each other in heated arguments over whose territory the alleged rape of the Abia State University student took place.

Lagos-based THE PUNCH reports in its today’s edition that while the verbal exchanges continue, the alleged rapists are walking free, with the police failing to launch a manhunt for them.

The paper said the blame game being played by the two neighbouring commands was an indications that the police had not started investigation to apprehend those behind the heinous crime.

The lady was gang raped by five students suspected to be members of a cult group in the university, who recorded their shameful act and later posted the video on the Internet on August 17, 2011.

But more than a month after the incident, the police have yet to begin an investigation that could lead to the arrest of the suspects, THE PUNCH further reported.

It quoted the Commissioner of Police, Abia State Command, Mr. Bala Hasan, as insisting that the incident did not take place in his domain but rather on a campus of  Abia University in Imo State. But an officer at the Imo State Police Command, who also spoke with the newspaper, countered Mr. Hasan’s claim,  saying the crime was actually committed in Abia.

The police officer, who did not want to be quoted because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said he had called the Area Commander in charge of Okigwe on the matter.

He said, “I called the Area Commander in charge of Okigwe, but he (area commander) said nothing like that happened in Imo State. The Abia CP claimed the incident happened in Imo State.

“But based on what I have gathered, the incident did not happen in Imo State. The crime was committed in Abia. Why is the CP in Abia saying it happened in Imo?”

“The catalogue of denials from the police indicates that they are yet to begin a search for the suspected rapists with a view to arresting and bringing them to book,” the paper said.