A Police Corporal, Anthony Onoja, who is alleged to have raped a two-year-old girl at Kabayi area of Mararaba in Nasarawa State, has been dismissed from service.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja and signed by CSP Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer.
The statement said that Onoja was dismissed on Sept. 13, contrary to the rumour being circulated in some quarters “of the complacency of the Force in handling the case”.
“Contrary to these false and clearly twisted facts, the Nigeria Police have since Sept. 13, 2013 dismissed Cpl Anthony Onoja.
“The ex-policeman, who allegedly raped a minor at Kabayi area of Mararaba in Nasarawa State, was charged to a Nasarawa High Court, on Sept. 15, 2013, for the offence of rape, under Charge sheet No NSD/77C/2013.
“The suspect was dismissed after an in-house administrative disciplinary panel (Orderly Room) indicted him for the disciplinary offences of discreditable conduct and conduct unbecoming of a police officer,” it said.
The statement said that the dismissal of the officer followed a full-scale criminal investigation conducted by the Anti-Human Rights Section of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Police Command in Nasarawa.
“The case diary was subsequently forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Nasarawa State Ministry of Justice, for legal advice.
“Based on the advice of the DPP, Anthony Onoja was charged to High Court 3 in Nasarawa State.
“The prosecution of the ex-police Cpl is being conducted by the Office of the DPP and is ongoing,” it said.
It said that the facts could be verified by any Nigerian or group who wish to so do.
“The Nigeria Police Force, in the light of the foregoing, finds it rather preposterous that well meaning Nigerians will insinuate that the force concealed and thereby condoned the condemnable action of Anthony Onoja.
“Without fear of contradiction, the Nigeria Police Force remains one of the most self-cleansing institutions in the country and has always disciplined its erring personnel without any prompting from any quarter,” the statement said.
The statement quoted the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, as appealing to the public to desist from blaming the entire Force for the singular misdeed of one of its members.
Abubakar noted that the Force, like any other institution in the country, was made up of persons, who individually, might not be perfect, “just as there is no perfect institution anywhere in the world’’.
He said the police administration was determined to pursue its reformation agenda with the objective of bequeathing a people-friendly police to Nigerians, adding, however, that “this requires a collective effort’’.
