By Linus Aleke
Mr. Frances Eze, a witness to the alleged sexual assault of a teenager at Awgu police station, involving Assistant Police Superintendent, Vincent Oke, has denied the trending report that his life is under threat.
He also dismissed trending online publications that he declined to give witness in the case.
Frances Eze, an indigene of Mgbowo in Awgu L.G.A of Enugu state, in a statement, said that to the best of his knowledge, nothing like sexual assault happened between the accused police officer, ASP Vincent Oke and the teenager.
He noted that he is willing to speak about what he knows about the case.
Mr. Eze further alleged that the issue is a case of set-up, planned by one, Inspector Chikwado Eze against ASP Oke.
But when contacted, Inspector Chikwado Eze stated that Francis Eze is lying to save the accused officer because, some people have called to make some promises to reward him later and threatened him against coming to testify.
Eze said even though he was not in the office at the time the unfortunate incident took place, Francis who was the victim’s witness owned up to have witnessed the incident.
According to him, Francis’ MTN call log would reveal everyone conversations regarding who called and who said what, insisting that Francis was who called him and told him that he had been warned from the office not to come and give evidence.
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The statement reads: “On Friday, 9th of September 2022, I saw in Opera news that I didn’t come to give evidence because Awgu police officers threatened me. I want to make it clear to the public that nobody threatened me and I can’t allow Inspector Chikwado Eze to use me and achieve his selfish aim. I am not in Enugu presently but I am willing to come and give evidence on this matter if anybody can sponsor my movement down to Enugu to tell the Commissioner of Police what transpired between me and Inspector Chikwado Eze,” he noted.
The statement further revealed, “when Inspector Chikwado Eze told me about the plot to implicate ASP Oke, using the sexual assault story, I promptly told him that such thing did not happen and was not going to bear false witness against an innocent person.
Therefore, I was surprised to read a report published by Opera news quoting Saharareporters, claiming that I didn’t come to give evidence because Awgu police officers threatened me.
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“Sometimes in March this year, I ran into Awgu police station for safety because some people were after my life. I was in police station with precious Ojanekwu who claimed to have been sexually assaulted. Precious Ojanekwu left the police station before me, as I was waiting for situations to calm down.
“But months after, August to be precise, Inspector Chikwado Eze who was a police officer in the Awgu police station called me and asked me to be a witness against ASP Oke Vincent who was accused of Sexually molesting precious Ojanekwu, while I was in the police station. According to him, ASP Oke Vincent transferred him out of Awgu division and he want to get his revenge by transferring him out and himself retuning back to Awgu police station. I told him this didn’t happen and I can’t do it. He kept persuading me and said that he has spoken to some of the police officers at Awgu to give evidence against ASP Oke.
“Inspector chikwado Eze, I believe convince precious Ojanekwu parents to support the false publications because he promised to help beg precious Ojanekwu boss to forget the money that precious Ojanekwu stole from him as he was the prosecutor directed to charge the matter to court. I made enquiry and found out that the matter has not been called up in Court for one day since April 2022″.
