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Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
A bus driver who simply identified himself as Lucky has volunteered to testify in the ongoing investigation of a complaint by a 23-year widow that a Peter Ebah, a police Inspector forced her to come down from the vehicles she was travelling in because she was not putting on face mask raped her overnight.
The commercial vehicle was heading from Bori, headquarters of Khana Local Government area to Eleme, in Eleme local government area of Rivers State.
The Police Inspector, has been detained in the headquarters of River Police Command in Port Harcourt while police authorities have assured that the allegation of the lady will be investigated and the officer will be punished if he is found guilty.
Speaking in a telephone interview, the driver confirmed that on the fateful day, he was carrying the passengers, including the widow, from Bori to Eleme.
He added that the lady who was not wearing face mask was arrested and taken away after policemen was stopped the vehicle at one of the road blocks along the way.
The driver said: “On sighting one lady in the bus, who was not wearing nose mask, she was ordered to come down from the bus and it was getting dark. An old man inside the bus who had a spare nose mask volunteered one for the Lady, but the Policemen refused. When they saw our persistence because we did not want to leave the lady, the Policemen threatened to shoot at the four tyres of my vehicle. We had no other option, but to leave her behind with the Policemen. I don’t have any problem testifying about what actually happened.”
The driver said he and passengers were dumbfounded that despite their pleadings that it was getting dark and somebody volunteered to give spare facemask to the lady, the policemen refused to let her go.
” I offered N500 a tip to the Policemen, but they refused. Even an elderly man inside the vehicle also came down knelt down for the men to forgive the lady, but they insisted they must arrest the lady and take her to Quarantine center.
He added that the Policemen also threatened to shoot the four tyres of the vehicle and with the threats by the Police, other passengers became apprehensive and ordered him to move out of the scene for their safety.
The driver added that since the Policemen had threatened to take her to the Police station they left the scene of the incident at about 7 pm that evening”.
Mr Lucky said he was shocked to hear that the widow was later raped by the same Police Officers.
“I heard the news over the radio that the lady was raped till daybreak. I am ready to offer any form of assistance to that woman. I am also a married man with children and would not cover such heinous crime. If Police need the truth, they should contact us. I am sure other passengers are also willing to testify over what happened before the rape incident transpired.