A coalition of four Civil Society Organisations in Enugu State has appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to ensure justice for a 16-year-old girl, Goodness Pius, who was gang raped by five young men in the State.
The coalition are made of Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN), Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Parent-Child Intervention Center, and Center for the Victims of Extra-Judicial Killings and Torture (CVEKT AFRICA).
In a petition to the Governor, dated December 1, 2020, which was titled: “Justice for Goodness Pius; Re: ‘appeal for urgent intervention: gang rape of Goodness Pius and infliction of grevious bodily harm on her by Mr. Okwudili and four others,” and was made available to The PUNCH on Wednesday, the coalition said the crime was too grevious to be swept under the carpet.
The petition was signed by Olu Omotayo, President (CRRAN); Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director (RULAAC); Peggy Chukwuemeka, Executive Director (Parent-Child Intervention Center); and Frank Agu, Director Southeast Operations (CVEKT AFRICA), respectively.
They said the appeal became necessary since the police have failed to arrest the suspects, and as Chief Security officer of the state it is incumbent on the governor to ensure justice for all the residents of the state.
The coalition described as disheartening that three weeks after the occurrence of this crime a petition was sent to the State Commissioner of Police, yet the command has refused to arrest the suspects.
While the coalition stated that gang-rape is an offence against the State, and the state should maintain at all times its’ sovereignty and integrity. “The fact that the victim comes from a poor family has been the reason of Police inaction over this matter but we submit that it is the duty of the government to protect all its’ citizens whether poor or rich”
The petition partly read: That Goodness is an apprentice to a petit fruits seller at Proda junction, Enugu. That one Mr. Okwudili also has a provision shop at the same Proda junction.
“On Friday, November 16, Mr. Okwudili was going out in the afternoon and handed his shop key to Goodness and asked her to help him look after his shop but he did not return till the close of work.
“Unable to wait further for Mr. Okwudili, Goodness gave the shop key to Okwudilis’ wife so that she could go home.
“That Monday, November 9, when Goodness got to work, Okwudili claimed that she stole phone recharge cards worth N50,000 only from his shop. Okwudili and his wife invited four secret cult boys who beat Goodness to stupor.
“That Mrs. Prisca Eze (Goodness’ elder sister) said Okwudili and the four cultists took Goodness to her residence and told her she stole phone recharge cards, and continued beating her in her presence. When she asked them to stop beating her sister, they pulled their guns and threatened her.
“After they took her away, she kept searching for her sister until about 5pm when she got Okwudili’s phone number and called him. He asked her to come to Otuku, Emene for her sister and when she got there, he took them to a farmland where he showed them Goodness lying unconscious in a pool of blood with injuries all over her body including her private part.”
The coalition, however, maintained that the case was too serious to be allowed to be swept under, adding that if the rapists were not punished, they would be emboldened to commit more heinous crimes.
