The police have reiterated that it had justifiable cause to dismiss Edith Uduma, a female police inspector following her unethical conduct in the alleged rape of a 17-year-old female suspect by Sergeant Abraham Uzuobo, of the Edo State Police Command.
Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, reaffirmed the decision of the Force Headquarters, Abuja, to dismiss Uduma in a statement posted on X on Wednesday.
The post stated that “the force reaffirms its justification for the dismissal of one Edith Uduma, a former police inspector, who was recently dismissed for her act of gross misconduct and complicity surrounding the alleged rape of a 17-year-old female suspect by one Abraham Uzuobo.”
The statement not only confirmed the unfortunate assault, but also laid emphasis on the unethical behavior of Uduma and her husband.
“After a thorough investigation into the matter, the Edo State Police Command uncovered that the police sergeant, identified as Sgt. Abraham Uzuobo, had removed the victim from the cell and taken her to an unoccupied office, where he attempted to engage in sexual acts with her.
“Uduma had entered and recorded the act while it was happening. But rather than immediately documenting the incident in the station’s incident record, where she was responsible, and then reporting it to the divisional police officer so that disciplinary action could be taken against the negligent officer, she exploited the situation to further her own financial gain by contacting her husband, Ibrahim Mohammed, a police inspector, who conspired with her to illegally demand N1,000,000 from the sergeant in order to help him hide the incident.
“The accused sergeant only paid N45,000 in cash, which they accepted at that time only for them to request the sum of N1,000,000. The sergeant’s failure to comply with the extortion prompted them to report the officer to the divisional police officer, while also sharing the footage on social media.
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“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,” Adejobi said in the post.
He added that the dismissal of Uduma was not only justified, but necessary, based on thorough investigations that presented irrefutable evidence of her failure to follow standard incident report protocol.
Adejobi reiterated that the police is opposed to any sort of misbehaviour, especially in serious cases involving vulnerable victims.
