By CrossRiverWatch Admin
Basic Rights Counsel, a law firm in Calabar the capital city of Cross River State have written the Attorney General of the state asking him to instruct the Commissioner of Police to investigate a group of policemen whose action is threatening the rape case brought against one Mr. Marcellinus Nwahiri who allegedly defiled his 3 year old daughter.
The law firm in an open statement alleged that the police officers handling the case handled it in way that; “Leaves much to be desired” after a magistrate court sitting in Calabar declined to sit on the matter with three conflicting medical reports threatening to “scuttle the justice of the case”.
Documents sighted by CrossRiverWatch revealed that the said Mr. Marcellinus allegedly committed the act on July 17, 2016 at about 6:00PM along LEMNA road in Calabar and the case was reported to the Police on July 19, 2016.
Before reporting to the Police, the defiled baby was earler in the day taken to the Nigerian Navy Hospital Calabar where after a medical examination was carried out, the hospital issued a medical report that the hymen of the baby was “not intact”. CrossRiverWatch also gathered that it took the intervention of the Ministry of Women Affairs and the Attorney General who wrote separately before the hospital released the medical report.
The police, despite being informed of the medical report from the Nigerian Navy hospital, still referred the baby to the Police hospital where on July 21, 2016 they obtained a report that the hymen was intact with no evidence of sexual assault.
CrossRiverWatch also gathered that due to the persistent pain experienced by the child during urination, she was admitted to the General Hospital Calabar on August 7, 2016 where another medical examination was carried out and the reporting stating that the hymen has been broken.
On August 8, the suspect was arraigned before the magistrate court for attempted rape with suit number MC/537C/20116 where the court declined jurisdiction but granted bail to the suspect. The case was then adjourned to October 10, 2016 and the prosecutor ordered to transmit the case file to the Department of Public Prosecution for advice.
The charge in sighted by CrossRiverWatch also showed errors in date on the face of the charge as the date when the alleged crime was carried out is earlier than what was alleged by the family.
Findings by CrossRiverWatch also revealed that the suspect made a written voluntary confessional statement to the neighbors where he accepted he defiled his little daughter and made several pledges which include treating the daughter as well as continuous catering for his family among others as the victim’s mother is said to be nursing a 3 months old baby for him.
Mr. Marcellinus is said to be a wealthy petroleum dealer and according to sources, has deployed a lot of resources to scuttle justice for the case.
Basic Rights Counsel in their open statement also alleged that Marcellinus is a serial rapist having previously raped the victims 11 year old aunt.