The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has fired Inspector Edith Uduma for allegedly accepting a bribe from Sergeant Abraham Uzuobo to hide a rape occurrence.
Uzuobo is accused of raping a 17-year-old girl suspect in a room at the South-Ibie police station in Edo state.
The suspect was stopped at a police station after reportedly receiving stolen stuff.
In October, a video of Uzuobo rapidly donning his trousers while the female suspect lay on a chair inside a police station room surfaced on social media.
In the video, Uzuobo confronted a female officer for filming the encounter.
The female cop in the background of the footage was eventually identified as Uduma.
Uduma was the charge room officer (CRO) on duty when the incident occurred.
According to Muyiwa Adejobi, the force’s spokesperson, Uduma called her husband, Ibrahim Mohammed, a police inspector, rather than reporting the event to the authorities.
Adejobi said Uduma and her husband demanded a N1 million bribe from Uzuobo to assist him in concealing the incident.
The force spokesperson said Uzuobo offered the couple N45,000.
Adejobi said:
“However, the sergeant offered only N45,000 in cash, which they collected at that instance, and after a few days, contacted the sergeant to request the same sum of N1,000,000, but the sergeant refused to comply.”
“Dissatisfied by his refusal to follow through with the blackmail, they decided to report the erring officer to the DPO and also simultaneously share the video on social media.
“Everyone culpable in this case has been sanctioned appropriately, as there is no intention to impede justice.
“The erring sergeant has been dismissed and prosecuted and is currently in prison custody as the trial progresses.
“Inspector Edith Uduma was also dismissed for her role, while her complicit husband has been reduced to the rank of sergeant.
“However, it has come to the attention of the force that following her dismissal, Mrs. Edith has made numerous unfounded claims regarding her innocence and has sought to taint the reputation and integrity of the adjudicating authority, the inspector-general of police, in person and the entire police force.
“It is imperative to set the record straight and provide clear context regarding her actions and the decision to dismiss her from service.
“The dismissal of former police inspector Edith Uduma was not only justified but necessary, based on thorough investigations that presented irrefutable evidence of her failure to follow standard incident report protocol to immediately document the incident, attempt to conceal an offender for benefit, participation in extortion, and manipulating the justice process for personal gain.”
