Five months after incident, outrage and calls for justice by activists and concerned Nigerians, Police have finally charged Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Abdulmumuni Danga, for allegedly raping and brutalising a young lady over her Facebook post.
WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that trouble started for the victim identified as Elizabeth Oyeniyi when she posted on her Facebook wall, a message urging the commissioner to assist his kid sister and other members of his family financially, following series of complaints by the commissioner’s sister to her. The commissioner reportedly hired thugs to abduct Elizabeth from her home in Lokoja with her three-year-old son after stumbling upon her post.
Narrating how Danga brutalised her, she said “On getting there, they flogged me. He flogged us himself, stripped me naked and made a video of me threatening to post it when next I make any public comment about it,” she said.
Narrating how the commissioner raped her, she said Danga held her captive and took her to a hotel at night where he forcefully had sex with her.
The incident sparked outrage after the lady shared evidence of her ordeal on social media. See video below;
Elizabeth had expressed fear for her life, revealing that she and her family members were receiving threats from loyalists and thugs of the commissioner. The commissioner, however, was arrested after former Kogi governorship candidate, Natasha Akpoti amongst other concerned Nigerians and activists pressured for justice from law enforcement agencies despite several attempts to bury the case.
The Nigeria Police Force has now charged to court Mr Abdulmumuni Danga, on a seven-count charge including rape to brutality, coercion and torture, five months after the event took place and three months after the commissioner was first invited for questioning by the police.
He was also charged for falsifying documents and threatening medical officer to forge test result.
In count one of the charges, Danga was accused of having carnal knowledge of Elizabeth Onyeniyi without her consent; and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 1 of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015.
In count two of the charges, the police said Danga with other persons now at large; in Lokoja willfully inflicted physical injury on Elizabeth by flogging her with electric cable wire.
See full court papers below;
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