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Akinwande Soji-Ojo
The Cross River State Police Command has reportedly arrested a former House of Assembly member in the state, Hon. Patrick Uguge, for allegedly raping his wife’s 19-year-old niece.
Human rights lawyer and Co-Founder, Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), James Ibor, disclosed this to newsmen in Calabar, the state capital, on Friday.
He said the suspect committed the crime at a hotel in Ogoja on April 21, 2023, adding that he was arrested by the police on Thursday night.
“A young girl, 19 years old, walked into our office and alleged that her daddy, because she calls the man her daddy, having lived with him for about three years now. She (the victim) is a niece to the man’s wife. The suspect is Hon. Patrick Uguge. Uguge was a two-term House of Assembly member and represented Ogoja State Constituency between 2007 and 2015.
“The victim alleged that on the 21st day of April, 2023, the man raped her in a hotel at Ogoja. When the girl came to us, we had to verify and confirm her story. We petitioned the Police and the man is in their custody.
“Rape is a felony offence and the rate of sexual abuse is alarming. So, we need to protect the female gender from predators. We are in touch with the girl’s parents, who confirmed that the victim was still a virgin before she was raped,” Ibor said.
Ibor decried the alarming rate of rape cases, and called for the protection of vulnerable demographies.
However, the Cross Rivers State Police Command is yet to confirm the arrest of the former lawmaker.