The Rivers State Police Command has denied allegations of attempting to cover up the case of an alleged assault on three ladies by one Christian Maduba at the BlackBox nightclub in Port Harcourt.
The denial follows outrage on social media by Nigerians who accused the police of trying to frustrate the case by changing the charges against the suspect.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the case had already been taken to court and was undergoing due legal process, dismissing insinuations of foul play.
The ladies, Anthonia Okoye, Juliet Obasi and Jennifer Nnochiri, in separate videos posted on social media last week, narrated how Maduba, the Chief Executive Officer of Ceemore Group of Companies, allegedly assaulted them at the nightclub.
They accused him and a mobile policeman attached to him of assaulting them after one of them declined his advances.
The ladies lamented that the attack left them with broken head and tooth, and other bodily injuries.
Okoye said she made reservations at the club after paying the sum of N200,000 to celebrate her birthday with friends.
She accused Maduba of stripping her naked and beating her to stupor.
The lady said the suspect approached them at their reserved table and asked if he could join them, but they refused.
She added that Maduba allegedly flared up when he noticed that one of the ladies was making a video while dancing and ordered her to stop.
Following the complaints, Maduba was arrested and detained on June 14 at the Olu Obasanjo Divisional Police Station in Port Harcourt where the case was reported.
The suspect was arraigned before a Port Harcourt Magistrate court on Tuesday on a six-count charge of assault, battery, and conspiracy to commit felony.
Maduba was granted bail after pleading not guilty to the charges and the case was adjourned till July 23 for hearing.
The Rivers Command’s spokesperson, Iringe-Koko clarified that contrary to speculations, the charges against the suspect were not altered to favour anyone.
“The police cannot dabble in a case that has already gone to court. We are professionals, we are not killing any case; the case is in court for onward prosecution.
“The charges were not changed. The suspects were charged accordingly. Six-count charges were placed against the alleged suspect,” the PPRO said.
Reacting to claims that a Divisional Police Officer might have encouraged an out-of-court settlement, the police spokesperson explained that the DPO was merely carrying out his duties as a peace officer.
“The DPO had an interview session that was recorded and during the process, there was no place he told them anything untoward. As police, we are peace ambassadors, he must have asked both parties to go and resolve and give him feedback, not that we are trying to kill the matter or taking sides. He was just doing his job,” she said.
Meanwhile, the counsel to the victims, Cyrus Onu, had earlier raised concerns about what he described as clerical errors in the original charge sheet, which he said were already being addressed following intervention by the Commissioner of Police.
Onu, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, accused the suspect of showing no remorse since the incident, adding that the victims were primarily demanding a public apology from the suspect.
He accused Maduba of arrogance and acting with impunity since the incident, noting that the accused person had not made any form of apology or settlement offer.
“Ceemore, (Maduba) who is the suspect in this case, seems to be unapologetic and has conducted himself with impunity. He and his team have conducted themselves arrogantly, feeling that they can drag this case on for as long as they want because they have the money. But they will be surprised,” Onu said.
He also raised concerns over what he described as a smear campaign against the victims’ character since the incident became public.
“These girls are hardworking. One of them is a lab scientist. Another is a celebrity cake maker and event planner, and the third is a nurse. They went to relax like any other citizen would, only to be attacked and battered beyond recognition.
“Now their images are being tarnished. What these girls really want is a public apology. Own up to what you did, especially in the face of overwhelming evidence,” he stated.
Expressing confidence in the justice system, Onu said civil society groups and members of the public were actively monitoring the case, vowing that the matter would be pursued to its logical conclusion.
