On Thursday September 22nd, SaharaReporters learned that an investigation into the Abia gang rape scandal would not be pursued unless the victim came forward.
On Thursday September 22nd, SaharaReporters learned that an investigation into the Abia gang rape scandal would not be pursued unless the victim came forward.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
In an interview with Bala Abdulahi Hassan, the Abia State Police Commissioner, SaharaReporters discovered that Commissioner Hassan was relying on Internet sources to discover any leads in the case, therefore he and his staff were also dismissing the rape. This was a week after federal minister and the National Human Rights Commission claimed serious investiagtions had begun to unravel the perpetrators of the video-taped rape.
“I went to Google to get the names they provided. Nobody reported to me at Isokuato Police Station and nobody reported to me at Uturu police station. I’m just hearing the matter as a very hypothetical matter,” said Commissioner Hassan.
The video, which has gone viral on the Internet and social media websites shows an unidentified female being raped by five males. During the attack the victim begged for the males to stop and eventually her explicit cries turned into pleading for death.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });
The perpetrators are heard speaking in Igbo language and in English. During the attack, the rapists even totted around their names “'Do you know who Zaki is?' Other names mentioned were Chisom, Uchenna and Ifeanyi.
On Thursday September 23rd, SaharaReporters released a story identifying Justin Ogu and Jonah Uche, two student attending Abia State University, as alleged participants in the crime.
Regardless as to the names and information heard from the actual video, the Abia state government, along with Abia State University Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Ude Nkwokeocha have stated that the rape did not happen on the Abia State university campus.
“It is possible that the crime happened in Okigwe because they have hostels in Okigwe, said Commissioner Hassan. I check with the registrar of the names of the students to get them interrogated [in] relation to the incident. If we don’t get the names of the students then we have hit a brick wall. So maybe it may have happened and not involved students of that school. There are so many theories.”
Commissioner Hassan, not realizing his conflicting responses also said, “when I started getting these rumors about two/three days ago, I called the CID BOSS, who had no clue to the claims and he then called the DPO [at] Isokwato and Uturu who both had no names in their records.
“As a matter of fact the case was an extemporaneous prevarication.” Hassan added.
Asked if anyone within his jurisdiction had watched the circulating video, he said “no!” He then explained the procedure by which someone can report a rape case. “As police commissioner, I rely on the reported crime I see in my crime diary.” He said.
In this particular case after checking the state police official crime diary he found nothing.
A few hours after this interview was conducted, the police commissioner claimed two students were arrested, but he refused to give the full names of the suspects, only giving their aliases as "Zaki" and "Emeka".
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
SR: Any progress on regards to this rape case. Three of the students have been found to be Abia state university Students. And you have located. I want say you. But this is what we are hearing from the Federal Government that they’ve located where the crime scene where the rape actually took place. Do you have anything that you may want to share with us?
Hassan: …….not too my knowledge. I have sent the assistant commission of police)(CID) to Uturu since morning but he is not yet back. And me to, I went to Google to get the names they provided because nobody reported to me at Iskuato Police Station and nobody reported to me at Uturu police station and nobody reported to me at the State CID. And me to, I’m just hearing the matter as a very hypothetical matter. From the information on Google, I send the state CID to go and make a follow up. I’m sure within the next one hour he will be back. I check with the registrar of the names of the students to get them interrogated to the relation to the incident. If we don’t get the names of the students then we have hit a brick wall. So maybe it may have happened and not involved students of that school. There are so many theories.
SR: Compo, are you not aware that the federal govern and the human rights commissioner are on the ground in the States and actually in Uturu and they are the ones who fished out the names of the perpetrators?
Hassan: the names they fished out are the names I fished out of Google myself.
SR: So what you are saying is the state police command is not officially aware that there are people from Abuja on the ground working. This is a little bit interesting.
Hassan: It’s our duty; we are they people on the ground. If there are people from Abuja here to make an arrest they are suppose to report to me before they enter the city (Uturu). But I have sent my men as early as 8 this morning and they are working with the University Authorities. They have not reported back to me. I am waiting for them in the office. But no matter how late they will tell me how far they have gone with the University authorities and how far they have gone with those names. Whether they are existing or hypothetical names. And if there are existing names, then whom do we accost? It is possible that we will see the name of the student and arrest him and if he gives an alibi that the day this incident happened I was writing an exam and then he will have cleared himself now.
SR: The point is that, first and foremost it seems that the police has just been totally uninvolved in this. At this point you are only able to get names from Google, which is interesting.
Hassan: Of course the information came from Google. Normally, the offences are reported to the police before anybody knows. If there is any crime, Al-Jazeera will call me and say did this thing happened and I will say yes it has happened the State CID is investigating it. Any case of rape, armed robbery, kidnapping is normally investigated by the State CID. When I started getting these rumors about two-three days ago, I called the CID boss and said such documentary he said no and then I called DPO Isokwato and he said no names in his record, I called the DPO Uturu, the station officer Uturu he said no its not in his records.
I told the people that as far as I am concerned as the CPO, it is not a reported case. The case may hypothetical as a matter of fact extemporaneous prevarication.
SR: Can you break that down for me in law enforcement terms?
Hassan: No I will not break it down, Sahara Reporters. It is in the Punch today
SR: Ok so within your jurisdiction and command nobody has watched the video of the rape that is circulating
Hassan: No, Normally when a case is reported some goes into the police station and says I have been raped and we make an entry. As the commissioner of Police I rely on reported crime in my crime diary. I check all the reports in my crime diary and saw nothing. Then I told them that it is possible that the crime happened in Okigwe because they have hostels in Okigwe. If something happened over there the city command cannot be accountable for it.
However if there is other information that they have that is concrete, because everything they are telling me that was hypothetical, was theoretical
When I went into Google today, I saw some names and I was thinking that whatever they are worth lets make a lead with these names. We went to the University and I learnt that they checked those names but I’m not yet able to confirm, I’m waiting for the State CID man to come and confirm if they have those names in their records. If their names are not in their records then it is a brick wall. Then probably we have to get the pictures from the video, and then start scanning with a computer using all the pictures in the University then we will be able to identify them. And all efforts to trace the said girl by my detectives have proved have been abortive. So if we find out that those names match any known name in the University we can arrest that person and start investigating. That is the starting point.
SR: Do you have any tools in your command to do Internet scanning and detect crime, using video?
Hassan :I use my own computer to check Google and pass those names to my CID boss and people have called me and repeat them same names.
SR: Can you tell me the names you sent out with your detectives?
Hassan :I have left the office for the day. If you Google gang rape you will see everything there… all the names there and if a crime has indeed occurred, we will investigate. So we are on top of the situation.
SR: Do you mind telling me your full name?
Hassan: Balal Abdulahi Hassan, a fellow of the World College (FWC)
SR :I hope you can call us if you have any new developments
Hassan: If there is something I will let you know, but I have to let my IG know first because if they see this first on Sahara Reporters, I will be sacked!
SR: Why will the IG sack you if he sees you on Sahara Reporters? He hates Sahara Reporters like that?
Line cuts abruptly.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });