Police detain officer accused of raping widow over face mask

Police in Rivers say they have detained an officer accused of raping a 23-year-old widow.

Rivers police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.

He said the command had launched a full investigation into the rape allegation by inviting the victim and the police officer and his team during the incident.

“The parties have provided useful statements to investigators.

“They were invited on Thursday and the matter is being investigated by detectives at the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

“The officer was detained immediately after giving his statement.

“We assure members of the public that justice would be served at the conclusion of our investigation,” Mr Omoni said.

The widow had alleged that a police inspector (name withheld) raped her repeatedly after arresting her for not wearing a face mask.

She said the officer was on a stop-and-search duty when he met her at a checkpoint in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers.

The mother of two children claimed that the policeman later took her to a hotel in Bori, Rivers and forcefully had sex with her.

She said on arriving the hotel, “the officer dragged down my trouser and had his way despite my resistance.

“Later in the morning, he did it again and asked me to give him my phone number. I was helpless and afraid because we were alone.”