A coalition of human rights groups, on Friday, petitioned Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State over the arrest of one Ejike Eze, a complainant in a gang-rape case.

The 16-year-old female victim was reportedly gang-raped by one Okwudili, an alleged cult member, and four others over alleged stealing of recharge cards and abandoned in a forest where she was rescued two days later.

Subsequently, the organisations, including Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, Parent-Child Intervention Centre, and Centre for the Victims of Extrajudicial Killings and Torture, petitioned the Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, after Eze had reported the incident to the Police Area Command.

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UGAMATV learnt that the commissioner, however, failed to act on the petition because the victim’s guardian could not produce the money the police had demanded to effect the arrest of the suspects, prompting the rights groups to write Ugwuanyi to intervene and ensure justice for the girl.

But the coalition in a petition dated December 24, 2020 titled ‘Re: Arrest of Complainant in the Case of Gang-rape of 16-year-old Girl,’ made available to our correspondent on Friday, bemoaned the detention of the victim’s guardian and a complainant for allegedly kidnapping the principal suspects in the gang-rape. But it was gathered that the DSS had informed the police that the purportedly kidnapped suspect was in their custody.