There was mild drama last Saturday (September 17,2022) at Bestman estate around check point busstop in Rumukwuota,Obio/Akpor Local Government area as a man in his early 40s simply identified as James came to effect the arrest of a 17 year old girl, Faith with Police Officers from Rumupeirikom(Kala) Police Division for turning down his sex demand after dashing her money on several occasions.
In an interview with our reporter, Miss Faith said “today in my shop James came to arrest me .I have being cleaning his nails,then the remaining change he will tell me,I should take it .
“Each time he comes to my shop,he will clean his nails and tell me to take the change .He dash me money attimes,.He never told me the reasons why he was giving me this money until one day he now told me I should follow him to a hotel and I told him no,that I cannot go to a hotel with him after I found out he is a married man.
“Then he has been telling me to come with him to a hotel and coming with to a hotel is that I am going to sleep with him then I told him no,then he decided to bring Police to my shop today to come and arrest me.
“The Police took me to the station and told me to write statement how it happened and I wrote everything down”.
When approached by our reporter in the station Mr James declined comment but added the DPO has handled the matter.
The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police command,SP Grace Iringe Koko told our reporter that the young girl have left with her parent after the DPO listened to both parties and warned the man seriously to stop harassing the girl based on her age.
Our reporter gathered that the total money the said Mr.James dashed the girl within period of two months was 17,500 naira.
Meanwhile the National Coordinator of Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign,Prince Wiro in an interview with newsmen said he received a call that some Police Officers from Rumupeirikom (Kala) Police station came to effect the arrest of the minor based on compliant by Mr James who has being luring and enticing the minor for sex.
Mr Wiro said he spoke with the 17 year old girl on phone and some of the residents who wanted to revolt against the Police from taking her to the station to let the underage girl go with the Police since is possible the complainant may have misinformed the Police.
Mr Wiro said he arrived the Rumupeirikom Police station at Kala and after the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) heard from both parties the girl was asked to go with her people while the man was warned to desist from harassing the girl.
Mr Wiro advised residents of the state not to resist lawful invitation by the Police even when they are innocent as complainants in most cases misinform the Police and only way the Police can find out the truth is by inviting the alleged suspect and hearing from both parties and if any of the parties are not satisfy they can approach the Public Relations Officer or the Commissioner of Police as both of them runs an open door policy and have being very responsive to compliants from public and issues of human rights abuses..
He also advised men to woo a woman properly in case of adult female and not to conclude that receiving cash gift from them by women indicates the women has consented to sex.
Mr Wiro equally advised young ladies to be careful of the kind of men they receive gift from as some men can arrange for them to be raped as a way of punishing the women whom they feel swindled them.
