A preliminary investigation into the rape accusation against Edo policeman Abraham Uzuobor has revealed Edith Eduma, his colleague, demanded he pay her N1 million to keep quiet about it.

Eduma caught Uzuobor sexually abusing a 17-year-old suspect in the administrative office on Thursday night and wanted to raise the alarm but chose not to. Instead, she called her husband and two other policemen. Uzuobor paid them N45,000.

The police report FIJ saw detailed how Uzuobor took Eduma’s cell keys at 9 pm on Thursday and went to fetch the suspect from the female cell to the administrative office. Eduma was the charge room officer.

There, he abused the girl. Eduma, noticing her keys were missing, went to the cell and noticed the girl was gone. Suspecting a jailbreak, she began searching everywhere, only to find her colleague with his trousers down in the admin office.

READ MORE: Edo Policeman ‘Rapes’ Girl in Benin Police Station

The report read, “On the 10th of October 2024, at about 9 pm, F/No. 504694 Sergeant Abraham Uzuobor removed a female suspect (names withheld), who is 17 years old, from the cell.

“He took her to the admin office, where he had carnal knowledge of her. The Charge Room Officer, who noticed the cell key was not with her, rushed to the cell and discovered the suspect detained for receiving stolen property was not in the cell.

“She subsequently went to the admin office where she caught the sergeant in the act and recorded the incident.

“The Charge Room Officer (CRO) AP/No. 228719 W/Inspector Edith Eduma refused to inform the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) or the Incident Duty Officer.

“Rather she called her husband, and two others who are policemen and then collected the sum of N45,000 from the sergeant to conceal the crime.

“On the 11th of October 2024, at about 4 am, she called the sergeant again to either pay her an additional one million naira or she would post the video on social media.”

When he did not pay, she posted the video online. The police say they have arrested both Uzuobor and Eduma.

“Both officers are currently detained and have been defaulted, now undergoing orderly room trials at area command,” the preliminary investigation report added.

The police said they were conducting orderly room trials for the officers at the area command. However, the report did not mention a trial for Eduma’s husband or the other two policemen she called to the crime scene.

Ojukwu is a reporter with FIJ in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe.