17th May, 2023
By Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt
Controversies are trailing alleged rape of five students of Rivers State University at the Ahoada Campus of the institution by hoodlums suspected to be cultists.
The students allegedly belonged to the Faculty of Humanities of the institution while the incident at Ahoada Campus was said to have happened at the wee hours of Monday 15th May,2023.
However, the Spokesperson for the command, SP Grace Iringe Koko, in reaction to the trending news of the rape, said she contacted the Chief Security Officer(CSO) of RSU Ahoada campus, Dr. E. Dominic Evanson, who said no such incident took place.
SP Koko further disclosed that the Police too have also not received any report of such incident from an individual or group.
Also the President of Student’s Union Government (SUG) of the institution, Comrade Anele Miracle in a telephone interview with said no such report got to him from the students of the campus.
Comrade Miracle pointed out that if such incident actually took place, his office will be the first to be aware.
Findings, however, showed that on Tuesday, one Onyema Egbe and some other persons posted the alleged rape of the students on their facebook walls and WhatsApp platforms with members mostly people from Ahoada extraction.
When contacted, a native of Ahoada town who is believed to be the first person that posted the incident on facebook wall claimed that the incident happened off campus in a place dominated by students of Rivers State University in Ahoada town.
He also claimed that the students are afraid to speak up or report to the Police for fear of reprisal attack by the hoodlums suspected to be cultists and stigmatization.
Reacting to the incident, a Human Rights Advocate, Prince Wiro said he got in touch with the Police and the Police said nothing of such happened based on the strength of information from the RSU Ahoada campus internal security.
The Rights Advocate, however, urged persons who claimed to be aware of the rape incident to encourage the alleged victims to report the matter to the Police or human rights group that will guide them properly to the Police.
Mr Wiro said considering the level of insecurity in Ahoada town and its environs in recent times, the Police should ensure there is adequate security for students in and out of the campus.
Mr Wiro also tasked the traditional institution to work in collaboration with institution management and the Police to ensure adequate protection of the students and the campus in Ahoada so as to avoid situation where people may start calling for relocation of the campus from the area.