Former police inspector at the Edo State Police Command, Edith Uduma, has opened up about the circumstances surrounding her dismissal from the force after exposing a colleague who allegedly raped a female suspect in police custody.
Naijaonpoint reported that Uduma’s dismissal came after a viral video she recorded in October showed Sergeant Abraham, a fellow officer, in a compromising situation with a 17-year-old girl inside the South Ibie police station.
The footage captured Abraham hurriedly pulling up his trousers as Uduma confronted him while the teenage girl was seen lying on a chair.
Following an orderly room trial, Uduma and Abraham were dismissed from the police force.
However, the Edo State Police Command alleged that Uduma and her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, had conspired to extort ₦1 million from Abraham to cover up the incident. The police claimed that when Abraham offered only ₦45,000, the video was leaked online.
In an interview with Punch, Uduma dismissed the allegation of conspiring with her husband to extort ₦1 million from her colleague to cover up the incident.
Narrating what led to the demand of ₦1 million, Uduma said, “There was nothing like that. This is why I say we should make this case open. I don’t want the police to investigate this matter again; we should bring this case to light on national television, and I need the people making the allegation to explain how I collected money. I remember when making statements, nothing like N1m was mentioned there.
“Our Divisional Police Officer asked us to explain what happened, and the victim was also told to share her account. After hearing everything, the DPO said she didn’t want the matter to escalate and insisted it should be dropped immediately.
“However, before that, I had already given the video to three people at the station; two boys and the station officer. Remember, I was not the only officer on duty, and immediately after the incident happened, I picked up my phone and called the DPO. It happened that her number was not going through. So, I now called the station officer.
“Around 5am, the next day, the station officer came and told me he had got the DPO’s phone number and that the DPO said I should not transfer the video to anybody yet and that I should not make any entry of the report at the station. I told the station officer that I would make an entry and that I had already given two people the video. He agreed and asked me to send the video to him and not to anyone else. I transferred the video to the station officer and when I was closing work in the morning, I made my entry.
“When the DPO arrived, according to those on duty, she became upset as soon as she saw the entry I had made. She accused me of deliberately trying to cause problems, claiming I was aware she was due for retirement on November 15. I was called around 9am and told that the DPO wanted to see me. At that time, I was already at home.
“Upon my arrival at the station, the DPO questioned my reason for making an entry despite her instructions, but I told her that as a police officer, I had to make an entry. She asked me to call Abraham because she heard that Abraham had offered me some money, but I refused. I told her I couldn’t collect money. People who know me are aware that my police work is different. I’m not just saying all these things because this happened. I won’t see any evil and cover it up. That is why I must get justice in this matter.
“When I called Abraham, he insisted that I accept money to cover up the incident, but I refused. After much pleading, I sarcastically told him to bring N1m in cash to the station, knowing fully well that he didn’t have that kind of money. He responded by saying he was on his way.
“I recorded the call, as directed by my DPO, with three other officers present. After the call, I forwarded the recording to the DPO. When Abraham came, the DPO asked what happened, and Abraham narrated it all, blaming his actions on the devil. The girl was also told to speak and she narrated how Abraham promised her N100,000.”