 |
Bala Hassan, the commissioner for police in Abia State, said the two men were detained after cyber activists posted pictures and names online.
The video shocked Nigerians both for the brutal nature of the rape and the initial failure of relevant authorities to investigate.
There had appeared little chance of the five men who taped themselves sexually assaulting a woman being caught.
Despite the video of the rape being widely watched online, officials in Abia State had declared their short investigations over as the victim had not come forward, with an official statement from the governor's office claiming the rapists were not Abia State University (ABSU) students and that the video was put together by his political enemies.
What followed was a sustained campaign on social networks to force the police back into action and to uncover clues from the video that might identify the culprits.
The news was eventually carried by the Associated Press and became the hottest online and offline topic of discussion in the country this past week.
A statement from the ABSU Law department says "Students of Abia State University, Please take note. Salvage the reputation of your school. Say no to rape. Ensure justice is done. Anyone who knows this lady should help trace her and her family. These deranged criminals may kill the poor girl. If she is alive she is safer coming out to the open and quickly revealing the identity of her attackers. It is a duty she owes humanity, forget the shame and pain this may bring, God will completely heal your wound.On Thursday the Nigerian national assembly called on the police to re-open their investigation.
"Let friends, colleagues and classmates who know what has happened volunteer information. These criminals only succeed if their evil deeds are kept secret. Once their identity is revealed they lose all the power they think they have."
Three days later, based purely on names and photos posted online, they have made two arrests.
Although the Police did not reveal the names of those arrested, several Nigerian bloggers had taken it upon themselves to glean whatever they could from the "obvious evidence" available in the rape video - including an offer of N250,000 as reward for information on the whereabouts of the victim. They thus published the names of the suspects as: Ifeanyi Justin Ogu; Jonah Uche (final or extra year accountancy); and Zaki (resides in Duberville Lodge, ABSU). See Identities of 3 of 5 Alleged Abia State University Gang Rapists Revealed.
 |
| Winston Okoye Chinonso's profile picture on Facebook |
BBC reports that the rape victim appears to have been located.
A BBC news article reports that a women's rights group has said they are now in touch with her and are trying to get her out of Abia State to where she can receive counselling and medical attention.
The rape video, which lasted well over an hour, showed the girl initially trying to fight off the rapists, but with her efforts proving abortive amidst beatings from her assailants, she resorted to pleading with them to spare her. But her pleas fell on deaf ears, and when she could not take the excruciating pain any longer, she begged them to kill her. As she pleaded, the boys laughed and mocked her, asking her to ‘co-operate’ or face two more days of torture by rape.
The incident, which sparked nationwide outrage, is believed to have occurred in Abia State.
This high-profile case has highlighted what campaigners say is the Nigerian police's refusal to take rape seriously as a crime.
still in need of some information? search this site:
LOVE THE ARTICLE ABOVE?
Receive Updates: subscribe to Imo Herald in a reader or sign up for Free Email Updates
No comments:
Post a Comment