A troubling pattern persists within Nigerian law enforcement agencies, where those sworn to protect and serve often do the opposite. This systemic rot has left countless cases without justice or even hope for one, leaving victims dismissed and neglected. In many cases where the perpetrator is part of that system or an officer of the law, repercussions are non-existent or unfairly shifted onto the victim.
This is the case with Edith Udun, an Inspector of the Nigerian force who accused Osemwegie Lilian, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and Superintendent of Police (SP) at South Ibie Police Station, Auchi, of shielding a police officer, Sergeant Abraham Ozuobor. The latter is said to have sexually abused a 17-year-old girl in police custody in Edo State.
Details of the crime
Inspector Edith Uduma, who exposed Sergeant Ozuobor, told Sahara Reporters how she caught the half-naked officer raping a 17-year-old girl arrested for allegedly stealing a mobile phone. She explained she was on night duty as the Charge Room Officer (CRO) on October 7, 2024, when Sergeant Ozuobor approached her, requesting a cell key.
She then instructed the cell guard, Constable Moses Ogedengbe, to assist Abraham. The Inspector went looking when the key wasn’t returned on time. “I asked the cell guard, Moses Ogedengbe, and he simply replied that the key was still with Abraham Ozuobor, who was reportedly collecting a statement from his suspect and would return it afterwards,” she narrated.
Inspector Edith further explained that she went looking for the Sergeant in his office but continued searching each office when she couldn’t find him. “When I arrived at the admin office, I saw the padlock on the admin door hanging, but unlocked. I decided to push the door and noticed that someone was pushing from inside,” she said.
Inspector Edith said she overpowered him by pushing harder and managed to enter. “I then saw that it was Sergeant Ozuobor, and he was half-naked. I also noticed a female teenager, who had been detained for stealing a phone, lying unconscious on a three-seater chair, and decided to record a video of the situation,” she stated.
Reporting to the authorities
She told Sahara Reporters she immediately tried calling the DPO, SP Osemwegie Lilian, but the line did not connect. Then she contacted the Station Officer (SO), who came to the station that night to see them both.
She said, “The SO, Adamu Ishaku, ordered me to return the girl to the cell, which I did. He told me to hold on until he could reach the DPO, as he was also unable to contact him that night.”
Inspector Edith added that the station officer went home that night but returned the following morning with instructions from the DPO to refrain from sending the video to anyone or making an official entry of the crime. However, Inspector Edith reported that the video was already with the officers on duty and made the crime entry that morning.
She added that the DPO, who was not pleased with the crime entry, asked, “What will you gain by getting Sergeant Ozuobor dismissed?” The DPO further warned that if the sergeant were dismissed, she would also ensure Inspector Edith was dismissed.
The minor who had been raped was immediately released from custody, a move Inspector Edith says was “likely to prevent the girl’s parents from discovering what had happened to their daughter.”
Inspector Edith’s punishment
In her interview with Sahara Reporters, Inspector Edith revealed her husband, who had brought food to her on the night of the incident, was arrested and held in custody without a reason.
“My husband, Inspector Ibrahim Muhammad, was arrested on November 11, 2024, and taken to the State Headquarters in Benin, where he remains,” she revealed. “I have also been informed that they are making efforts to arrest and prosecute me for reasons that I still have not been cleared of.”
Inspector Edith said that after receiving threats and harassment from her DPO at the time, she had no choice but to report the matter to the Area Commander, who invited all parties, including the DPO, to his office. “After taking everyone’s statements, the Area Commander ordered the immediate detention of Sergeant Abraham Ozuobor,” she reported.
The DPO, SP Osemwegie Lilian, also allegedly knelt and pleaded with the Area Commander to drop the case as it would directly impact her work and upcoming retirement later this month.
The back-and-forth
Inspector Edith reported that after the meeting with the Area Commander, the matter did not come up until October 11, 2024, when the DPO called her to her office, stating that the Area Commander had called to see them. “Upon getting there, the Area Commander said the Commissioner of Police (CP) was already aware of the case and had invited them to his office for their statements,” she stated.
On October 14, 2024, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) reportedly took their statement and ordered an immediate handover of Sergeant Abraham Ozuobor to the Provost for detention and expressed his displeasure with the DPO for not detaining Sergeant Ozuobor for his crime.
Inspector Edith also explained that on October 17, 2024, she received a call from the Area Commander instructing her to come to his office. There, she was informed by the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) from Abuja that the minor who had been raped claimed in her statement that Inspector Edith was the one who brought her out of the police cell, drugged her, and gave her water after which she lost consciousness.
Inspector Edith’s dismissal
According to Inspector Edith, one Inspector, Inah Yibala, sent her a dismissal letter on Monday, November 11, 2024, and all efforts to get an explanation for her dismissal have been unsuccessful.
Earlier in November, Punch reported that the Edo State Police Command had confirmed Inspector Edith Uduma’s and Sergeant Ozuobor’s dismissal following an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct and extortion.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, disclosed the dismissals were executed per departmental protocols. Yamu stated, “Inspector Edith Uduma was found to have exploited her position to extort money from Sergeant Ozuobor. Additionally, she involved her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, in this illicit scheme.”
He further explained, “Instead of reporting the incident for disciplinary actions to be initiated against the erring officer, the female officer took advantage of the situation to enrich herself by calling her husband, AP No. 228652 Insp. Ibrahim Mohammed, whom she conspired with to unlawfully demand the sum of ₦ 1 million from the sergeant to conceal his crime but exposed him after he offered only ₦45,000.”
Yamu added that their investigation led to her dismissal. In his words, “Following these events, an orderly room trial was initiated against all the officers, which led to the dismissal of Sergeant Ozuobor Abraham and Inspector Edith Uduma. Her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, however, was reduced to the rank of Sergeant for getting criminally involved in demanding money to conceal such a gross violation of the Standard Operating Procedure of the Nigeria Police.”
The Police Public Relations Officer noted that the dismissed Inspector and her husband could appeal, as stipulated in the Police Act and Regulations, if they were displeased with the judgement.
The fate of the sexually violated minor
Amidst the police’s relentless efforts to discredit witnesses and protect the perpetrator, the heartbreaking plight of the true victim – the innocent minor who suffered unimaginable trauma – remains unknown.
The unanswered question of justice echoes the disturbing trend, as seen in the earlier case of a 17-year-old brutally raped by a Nigerian police officer in police custody this year.
The Nigerian government must take immediate, decisive action to address these heinous crimes for the protection of women and ensure adequate punishment for all perpetrators of crimes against women.
