A man simply identified as James, has allegedly ordered the police to arrest a 17-year-old girl, in Rumuokwuta Obio’Akpor, local government area of Rivers State, for refusing his sexual advances after giving her money on many occasions.
Trouble started when the man was said to have brought policemen from Kala Police Division to effect the girl’s arrest, at Best Man Estate, in Rumuokuta, PUNCH reports.
The teenager identified as Miss Faith, resides in Port-harcourt, and stated that she usually does pedicure for the man, saying the man usually ask her to keep the change after paying for services rendered.
She said, “James came to arrest me in my shop today. I have being cleaning his nails and each time he comes to my shop, I will clean his nails and he will tell me to keep the change.
“He gave me money sometimes and he never told me the reason why he was giving me these money, until when he finally told me to follow him to a hotel one day, but I refused. I told him I couldn’t go to a hotel with him because he is a married man. Since then he had been telling me to sleep with him, but I refused.
“He then decided to bring policemen to my shop today to arrest me. They took me to the station and asked me to write a statement on how it happened and I wrote everything down.”
James, when approached simply said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), had intervened in the matter.
Spokeperson, Rivers State Police command, SP Grace Koko, stated that the girl had left with her parents after the DPO listened to both parties and warned the man to stop harassing the girl based on her age.
However, a group, Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, said they received a distress call from residents of the estate about the development.
The group’s National Coordinator, Prince Wiro, said he spoke with the minor on telephone and some of the residents who insisted on accompanying the girl to the police station on the grounds that the complainant may have misinformed the police.
Wiro said he arrived the Police station at Kala, and after the DPO heard from both parties, the girl was asked to go with her parents, while the man was warned to stop harassing the girl.
He said, “Ordinarily, we would have pressed charges against the man for him to be charged for enticing and luring a minor but the parents of the girl held a different view. So we cannot cry more than the bereaved. My advice to people is that they should not hinder the police from carrying out their legitimate duties.
“Most times complainants would misinform the police, and it is only when the police have heard from both parties that they can make an informed decision.
“I equally advice our young girls to be mindful of the kind of men they take money from. Some men can go as far as even arranging people to rape women they think collected their money, especially when they do not get what they want from the women.”
When contacted, spokesperson of the state police command, said the matter had been resolved after the state commissioner of police, invited both parties.
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