The question that riles the mind is this: Why would the Nigeria Police dismiss Inspector Edith Uduma without giving her a fair hearing? The circumstances surrounding the dismissal of the Inspector at the Edo State Police Command from the force after exposing a colleague who allegedly raped a female suspect in police custody are indeed murky.
The incident occurred on October 7, 2024. According to the dismissed Inspector Edith Uduma, “That night, officers from the station went on a raid, and upon their return, Zaki Abdullahi (not the real name) stated that he wanted to release some of his suspects. However, the female suspect’s case was not one of the cases Abdullahi was handling, as she (the suspect) had been detained for about four days by another inspector.
I became suspicious after I gave my cell guard the key to help Abdullahi check on his suspect. I waited for them to return the key, but when it took so long, I called my cell guard to inquire about it. He informed me that Abdullahi still had the cell key.
“I decided to look for Abdullahi along with the cell guard. We searched for Abdullahi in various offices. Reaching the Admin office, we saw that the padlock was hanging on the door. That was when I found Abdullahi inside the office, and I recorded him in the presence of my cell guard. I was not the only person on duty, and the recording was done openly, and I did not conceal anything.”
Uduma said he does not understand why the DPO and Area Commander were saying that her action was wrong, stressing: “I raised the alarm because the girl was under my custody, and somebody now took this girl to have carnal knowledge of her,” she said, adding: “I have children as well. So, I know what it feels like. Now the police want to punish me because I brought police matters to the public. When I reported the incident, the authorities at that time were trying to cover Abdullahi.
“ However, an inspector mentioned that this wasn’t the first time Abdullahi had done something like this. He even expressed satisfaction that Abdullahi had finally been caught. The situation escalated because after I reported the incident to the authorities, they seemed to be trying to protect Abdullahi for reasons I don’t understand.
“It was later that some police officers started telling her that whatever happens in a police station stays in a police station. There was in fact the case of a female inspector who had sex with a suspect, but nothing happened to her.
“That was how my dismissal came without committing any offence,” she stated, adding: “I must get justice no matter how long it takes. She vehemently insists that she was not the one who posted the video on social media.
She made this revelation: “I know the man who posted it on social media. He is a constable. I’m not going to hide anything again, if they want to trace it, they can still trace it. I eventually spoke with him, and he said he had no idea I would be dragged because of the video.”
According to her, “I don’t know how (they) got the video. My family never knew anything about this issue. They saw everything on social media and whenever they asked me, I told them to forget all this social media drama.”
She maintains that her dismissal from the Police Force is not justified, querying: “What did I do? Did I commit any offence? Since I started this job in January 2007, I’ve not had any criminal records, I have worked with the Force PRO in Lagos, and I don’t have any criminal record. I have served in the Police Mobile Force and have no criminal record. So, why would they accuse me and expect me to remain silent?”
Her one reason for speaking out about the incident is in the hope of getting justice.
“That is all I need,” she concluded.
Nwosu, PhD, the immediate past Commissioner for Information, Anambra State, wrote from Awka.
