According to Premium Times, some women and youth of Eliozu community, Port Harcourt, have given a seven-day ultimatum to the police in Rivers State to either produce Ifeanyi Dike, a suspected r*pist and ritual killer, who escaped from custody on Saturday, or face their wrath.
Mr. Dike, 23, identified as a 200-level student of the University of Port Harcourt, was nabbed by a local vigilante group on Saturday with a sack containing the mutilated body of an eight-year-old girl, Chikamso Victory, whom he allegedly murdered.
The girl’s body had its vagina, fingers, breasts, and tongue cut off, apparently for ritual purposes. The suspect was said to be on his way to dispose the body when he was caught and then handed over to the police.
Premium Times reported how he later escaped from the police under controversial circumstances.
The women and youth of the community, Wednesday, poured into the streets to protest against what they described as the poor handling of the case.
The police had to use minimal force and tear gas to disperse the protesters.
Bright Chukwu, who spoke on behalf of the civil society organisations in the community, said it was sad that the suspect was allowed to escape after his alleged crimes.
“They (the police) should bring the guy back so that we would see before our eyes that justice has taken place,” Mr. Chukwu said.
Chijioke Ihunwo, the President, Obio/Akpor Youth in the state also criticised the police.
“The youth are angry with the Nigerian police that somebody who killed an innocent girl would be paraded on Saturday, and on that same Saturday he disappeared,” Mr. Ihunwo said.
The victim’s family is also demanding that justice is done on the matter while the police say they have already declared a manhunt for the suspect.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Zaki Ahmed, said his officers were doing “everything to track down the suspect.”
“We have circulated his picture even to the neighbouring state,” he said.
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