A former police officer in Edo State, Inspector Edith Uduma, has threatened to end her life and that of her children following her dismissal from the police force after exposing a colleague’s alleged rape of a 17-year-old girl.
She claimed her termination was unjust and that the public has not heard her side of the story.
The incident that led to Uduma’s dismissal occurred in October 2024, when she recorded a viral video showing Sergeant Abraham, a fellow officer, in a compromising position with the young girl at the police station in the South Ibie area.
In the video, Abraham is seen hurriedly dressing while questioning Uduma’s decision to record the situation, with the girl lying motionless in the background.
Following an internal investigation, both Uduma and Abraham were dismissed after an orderly room trial.
However, the Edo State Police Command, led by Public Relations Officer Moses Yamu, accused Uduma of conspiring with her husband, Inspector Ibrahim Mohammed, to extort N1 million from Sergeant Abraham in exchange for covering up the alleged rape.
The police claimed that when Abraham only offered N45,000, Uduma leaked the video online.
The police statement revealed that Uduma, who was the Charge Room Officer on duty that night, failed to report the incident to her superiors, such as the Divisional Police Officer or the Incident Duty Officer.
Instead, she allegedly exploited the situation by contacting her husband to demand the money from Abraham. As a result, both officers were dismissed, and Inspector Mohammed was demoted to the rank of Sergeant.
Uduma vehemently denied these allegations in an interview, stating she did not extort money from Abraham and was not given a fair hearing.
She believes her dismissal was orchestrated because she lacked the necessary connections to protect herself.
“What the Edo Command is saying is not what happened. They know I have no rank or support to fight back,” she said tearfully.
Uduma, who has been in hiding and hasn’t seen her children for some time, expressed her desperation, saying, “If Nigerians refuse to listen to me – because my husband has been in detention, and they have been looking for me to arrest me – if they refuse to listen to me, I will poison all my children and myself. I will die. Because I’m just stranded like this.”
She further claimed that the DPO at the station suggested she ask Sergeant Abraham for the N1 million as part of negotiations when the sergeant disappeared after the incident.
Uduma expressed shock at how the police force had turned the situation against her, asking, “If the police force can do this to a police officer, how much more to the innocent and civilians?”
The spokesperson for the Edo State Police, Moses Yamu, has not responded to calls or text messages seeking clarification on the matter.
Human rights group Take It Back Movement has since petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, requesting a review of Uduma’s case.
The petition, titled “Petition For Review and Reinstatement, Unjust Dismissal From Nigeria Police Force,” called for a thorough investigation into the allegations against Uduma and her husband.
The group expressed concern that instead of being commended for her actions in exposing the rape, Uduma had been unjustly dismissed and her husband wrongfully detained and demoted.
The petition also pointed out that the actions of the Edo State Police Command could hinder the investigation into the alleged rape and ultimately protect the perpetrator.
