A former police officer in Edo State, Inspector Edith Uduma, has threatened to kill herself and her children following her dismissal from the police force after she exposed an alleged rape incident involving a colleague.

She accused the state police command of unjustly dismissing her, saying the public had not also heard her side of the story.

Uduma’s dismissal came after a viral video that she captured in October showed one Sergeant Abraham, another officer, in a compromising position with a 17-year-old girl at the police station in the South Ibie area of Edo State.

The officer was seen hurriedly wearing his trousers and querying why Edith was making a video recording. The girl was seen lying on a chair in the room in the course of this.

It was learnt from the police that both officers were later dismissed following an orderly room trial.

The Edo State Police Command, in a statement released in November by its Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, alleged that Uduma conspired with her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, to extort N1m from Abraham to cover up the incident.

When Abraham reportedly offered N45,000 instead, the video was leaked online, the police claimed.

The command said, “That, contrary to reports from certain quarters, the said female police officer, AP/no 228719 Insp. Edith Uduma, was the Charge Room Officer on October 7, 2024, the night F/No. 504694 Sgt Abraham allegedly raped a female suspect in the station.

“The female officer, instead of reporting the incident to the Divisional Police Officer or the Incident Duty Officer as the case may be, for disciplinary actions to be initiated against the erring officer, took advantage of the situation to enrich herself by calling her husband, AP No. 228652 Insp. Ibrahim Mohammed, whom she conspired with to unlawfully demand the sum of N1m from the sergeant to assist him in concealing the matter.

“Following these events, an orderly room trial was initiated against all the officers, which led to the dismissal of Sgt. Abraham and Insp Edith Uduma.”

Uduma’s husband was also demoted to the rank of Sergeant.

However, Uduma denied the allegations in an interview with PUNCH Metro on Saturday, insisting she never extorted money and that she was not given a fair hearing. She alleged that her dismissal was orchestrated because she lacked influential connections.

Uduma who threatened to kill herself if she didn’t get justice said, “What the Edo Command is saying is not what happened. They know I have no rank or support to fight back,” Uduma said.

She further revealed that the Force Headquarters in Abuja was still investigating the matter only for the Edo command to hurriedly dismiss her.

“I want justice. My dismissal is unjust,” she said tearfully.

She said her husband who was also sanctioned had no connection to the matter.

“He (my husband) used to bring something for me to eat. He brought food that time to the station.

“If Nigerians refuse to listen to me – because my husband has been in detention, and they have been looking for me to arrest me, to charge me to court – if Nigeria refuses to listen to me, I will just poison all my children and myself. I will die. Because I’m just stranded like this,” she said, noting she had been in hiding and had not seen her children in a long time due to the incident.

She alleged that the DPO at the station prompted her to ask Sergeant Ibrahim for the N1m for negotiation when the sergeant reportedly disappeared after the incident, noting that this was to lure the suspect to show up.

According to her, she is surprised how the DPO and other officers allegedly turned the matter against her.

“If the police force can do this to a police officer, how much more to the innocent and civilians?”

The spokesperson for the Edo command, Moses Yamu, has not responded to calls and a text message put across to him on Sunday.

BIZTELLERS gathered that the then Divisional Police Officer of the station at the time the incident occurred, SP Lilian Osemwegie, has now retired.

A call was put across to a number said to be hers but a woman who responded after a question from our respondent, said, “Wrong number, wrong number.” PUNCH Metro cannot immediately verify if the former DPO was the one on the call, but a police source insisted it was her number.

In a statement made available to our correspondent on Friday, a human rights group, Take It Back Movement, petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over what it described as the unjust dismissal of the female police officer and reduction in rank of her husband for reporting the alleged rape case.

The petition titled, “Petition For Review and Reinstatement, Unjust Dismissal From Nigeria Police Force” was released by the TIB Abuja branch and signed by the Federal Capital Teriitory Coordinator of the group, Robert Ande.

“We humbly submit this petition to seek your intervention in the gross injustice perpetrated against Mrs Edith Uduma and her husband (Mohamed Ibrahim) with Force No.: AP/NO 228652 by the Edo State Police Command.

“Her dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force and the deduction of the rank of her husband from (Inspector to CPL) was unjust, and we request a thorough review of her case,” the petition read in part.

“Instead of commending her actions, she was dismissed, and her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Muhammad, was arrested and detained,” the group added, adding that the command’s action was capable of “hindering investigations and protecting the perpetrator of the rape.”

An American woman has revealed her experiences of being duped by two Nigerian internet fraudsters, often referred to as “Yahoo boys.”

Despite her losses, the woman, described as slightly over 50, expressed admiration for Nigerian men, calling them “the sexiest and most handsome men on this planet.”

In a video that went viral on Sunday, the woman detailed her encounters, starting with a scammer she met in 2020 on TikTok. She shared that the man used fake identities to build trust and demand money.

Their relationship lasted ten months before she ended it after discovering his real identity through a mistake he made by calling her from his Nigerian phone number.

“Back in 2020, I met this man, I was with him for ten months, and I got sick of him because he was always demanding money,” she explained. “One day he made a mistake and called me from a Nigerian phone number, and he was trying to play it off that it was his friend’s number. I was done with him, and he later confessed to me. Now, he is about to get married to his Nigerian girlfriend. I hope everything goes well for him.”

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Her second experience involved a younger scammer who later admitted to using the funds to support his sick mother. She recalled that his honesty softened the blow.

“This second was a little different. He was more polite and considered my feelings,” she said. “After a year with him, he decided to come out and tell me the truth, thanking me because I saved his mother’s life.”

Despite the financial strain caused by these scams, she expressed a lingering affection for Nigerian men while warning others to stay vigilant.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has intensified its crackdown on internet fraud. Between May 2023 and May 2024, EFCC secured 3,175 convictions and recovered over N156 billion in various currencies, according to the Commission’s chairman, Ola Olukoyede. However, the increasing involvement of young Nigerians in cybercrime remains a pressing concern.

The woman concluded her story with a note of caution, urging others to be mindful of online relationships while highlighting the struggles faced by both Nigerian and American women.

“I pray that nothing like this ever happens to me again. Please be safe in that country because I know that a lot of people there are struggling. But remember, a lot of American women are struggling too,” she said.

A total of 180 market women in Akwa Ibom State have received business grants of ₦100,000 each, courtesy of the Excellence Community Education Welfare Scheme (ECEWS) in collaboration with Nka Uforo Iban Washington DC.

The initiative, which spanned nine local government areas, aims to help vulnerable women upscale their businesses and improve their livelihoods.

The final phase of the program was held on Saturday at Ete Market in Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.

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Speaking at the event, Mr. Asukwo Etuk, Chief Technical Officer and Head of Admin at ECEWS, said the project specifically targeted women in dire need of support.

“We were intentional about selecting the most vulnerable women in the state,” Etuk explained. “The grant is meant to empower them to improve their enterprises, ensure their children stay in school, and enhance their overall livelihoods.

“We don’t want a situation where children are seen on the streets hawking when they should be in school. So, our criteria for selecting the beneficiaries included women who struggled to buy items to sell, those earning less than ₦2,000 daily, women from child-headed households, and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS or disasters,” he added.

The initiative also included training sessions to help the women effectively manage their businesses. Enobong Inuaeshiet, Manager of Nka Uforo Iban Washington DC, described the program as a partnership committed to creating lasting impact.

“Since September, we have been working across nine local government areas, and this is the last one we are visiting,” Inuaeshiet said. “In addition to providing grants, I train market women on effective business management, customer relationships, and avoiding debt traps.”

She further explained that market leaders are involved in monitoring the beneficiaries to ensure the grants are used appropriately.

Some of the beneficiaries, who spoke during the event, expressed their appreciation for the support. A trader from Ete Market said, “This support is life-changing. I will use the grant to grow my business and better support my family.”

The empowerment initiative, described as a significant step toward poverty alleviation, is expected to boost economic activities across the state while improving the lives of vulnerable women and their families.