A dismissed police officer from Edo State, Nigeria, Inspector Edith Uduma, has expressed intentions to take her own life and that of her children following her termination from the police force after she revealed an alleged rape incident involving a fellow officer.
Uduma has accused the state police command of wrongful dismissal, asserting that the public has not been privy to her perspective on the matter. Her dismissal occurred after a video she recorded in October went viral, depicting Sergeant Abraham, another officer, in a compromising situation with a 17-year-old girl at a police station in the South Ibie region of Edo State.
In the footage, the officer was seen hastily putting on his trousers and questioning why Uduma was recording the incident. The girl was observed reclining on a chair during this encounter. It was later reported by the police that both officers faced dismissal following an orderly room trial.
In a statement issued in November by the Edo State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, it was alleged that Uduma conspired with her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, to extort N1 million from Abraham in exchange for silence regarding the incident. The police claimed that when Abraham allegedly offered only N45,000, the video was subsequently leaked online.
The PRO stated that, contrary to certain reports, the female police officer, AP No. 228719 Insp. Edith Uduma, served as the Charge Room Officer on the night of October 7, 2024, when F/No. 504694 Sgt. Abraham allegedly committed the act of rape against a female suspect within the station. Rather than reporting the incident to the Divisional Police Officer or the Incident Duty Officer for appropriate disciplinary measures against the offending officer, the female officer exploited the situation for personal gain. She contacted her husband, AP No. 228652 Insp. Ibrahim Mohammed, with whom she colluded to unlawfully extort the sum of N1 million from the sergeant in exchange for assistance in covering up the incident. In light of these developments, an orderly room trial was conducted for all involved officers, resulting in the dismissal of Sgt. Abraham and Insp. Edith Uduma. Additionally, Uduma’s husband faced demotion to the rank of Sergeant.
Uduma refuted the allegations during an interview with Africa24hrs news on Saturday, asserting that she never engaged in extortion and claiming that she was not afforded a fair hearing. She contended that her termination was a result of her lack of influential connections.
Uduma, who expressed thoughts of self-harm if justice was not served, stated, “The narrative presented by the Edo Command does not reflect the truth. They are aware that I lack the rank or support to defend myself,” she remarked. She further disclosed that the Force Headquarters in Abuja was still conducting an investigation into the matter, yet the Edo Command proceeded to dismiss her without delay.
“I seek justice. My dismissal is unjust,” she said, her voice filled with emotion. She emphasized that her husband, who also faced sanctions, had no involvement in the situation. “He (my husband) would occasionally bring me food. He brought food to the station during that time.”
“If Nigerians choose to ignore my plight—considering my husband has been detained and they are actively seeking to arrest me and bring me to court—if my voice goes unheard, I will resort to poisoning myself and my children. I will die. I feel utterly stranded,” she lamented, explaining that she had been in hiding and had not seen her children for an extended period due to the circumstances.
She alleged that the DPO at the station encouraged her to request N1 million from Sergeant Ibrahim for negotiation purposes when the sergeant reportedly vanished after the incident, indicating that this was intended to entice the suspect to appear.
According to her, she is astonished at how the DPO and other officers seemingly turned the situation against her. “If the police force can treat one of their own in this manner, what hope is there for innocent civilians?”
A human rights organization, the Take It Back Movement, issued a statement to Africa24hrs news on Friday, in which it called upon the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, regarding what it termed the unjust termination of a female police officer and the demotion of her husband for reporting an alleged rape incident.
The petition, titled “Petition for Review and Reinstatement, Unjust Dismissal from Nigeria Police Force,” was published by the TIB Abuja branch and endorsed by Robert Ande, the Coordinator for the Federal Capital Territory. The petition seeks intervention in what it describes as a severe injustice inflicted upon Mrs. Edith Uduma and her husband, Mohamed Ibrahim, who holds Force No.: AP/NO 228652, by the Edo State Police Command.
