Posted by By GODDY OSUJI, Abakaliki on
'Teacher don't teach me nonsense…" That happens to be the title of late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's immortal song sang several years ago.
'Teacher don't teach me nonsense…" That happens to be the title of late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's immortal song sang several years ago.
But in Abakaliki, a lecturer (teacher) in the Department of Industrial Chemistry, Ebonyi State University, recently sought to teach one of his female students 'nonsense", worse still, adopting the crudest methodology.
Today, Mr. Anselem Ogah, is a guest of the police, and he has an uphill task convincing detectives that he did not take part in gang-raping the girl (names withheld) now feared to have contracted the deadly Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV).
This is despite campaigns by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) against sexual harassment of any kind in tertiary institutions.
Teacher as sex bandit
Trouble started when the lecturer, whose wife recently had a set of twins, allegedly teamed up with a former student of the university and a cultist, one Kelechi Ugbala, and lured the lady to a hideout where she was assaulted, raped and dispossessed of her cell-phone. Besides, it is feared that she might have contracted the dreaded HIV/AIDS.
Sunday Sun encountered the victim at the Abakaliki Police Headquarters where she lodged her complaint. She narrated her ordeal in the hands of the duo, lamenting how her lecturer lured her to a hideout under the pretence of protecting her from being wasted by Kelechi (KC), a notorious member of the Black Axe Fraternity.
Ordeal
'I was in my room in Abakaliki at about some minutes past 5 pm sleeping as I was not feeling well when my phone rang. I picked it up and saw it was Mr. Ogah, my lecturer. He told me to come and meet him at one of the centres (rendezvous) in town. He is a lecturer I respect so much, that was why I responded to his call. When I got there, he told me that we have to move to a particular joint, which I obliged. But on getting there, he said that K.C reported to him that I owed him (K.C). After a prolonged argument, KC insisted that I cough up N20, 000, claiming that I threatened him on phone, which I never did.
'So while we were arguing, I brought out my phone, but he slapped me and collected the phone. It was at this point that the owner of the restaurant pleaded that we leave the spot, as he could not tolerate such disorderly conduct.
'While I was insisting on having my phone back, as I did not owe K.C, my lecturer suggested we leave the place to a more conducive place, where he could talk to KC and get the matter resolved. He further said that he did not want K.C to waste my life. I did not argue, rather I followed him in his car, believing I was dealing with a human being. Initially, I never wanted to go and this was happening around 6.20 - 6.30 pm. before KC collected my phone.
'Before I realized what was happening, I saw myself in a Guest House which name I cannot remember now. It's actually after Rice Mill (part of Abakaliki). When we got there, K.C was still talking about the money, insisting that I pay him, otherwise he would strip me naked. Then we were still outside the Guest House. I kept quiet, but he kept on threatening me, saying that the place was a no-man's area, that even if I shouted till thy kingdom come, nobody would come to my rescue. I told him that I would prefer to go home naked provided he gave me my phone. At that point, he ordered me to undress for the lecturer to have sex with me. Of course, an argument ensued, and the lecturer intervened, saying I should not undress outside in the presence of people; rather I should go inside, that he would sort things out with K.C.
Set up
'Both of them stepped aside and had a brief discussion. After a while, they came back to me and K.C insisted I submitted for sex with Mr. Ogah (the lecturer). I told him that I was not well to embark on such exercise, which was confirmed by my lecturer. It was at this stage that Mr. Ogah suggested that we go inside one of the chalets and pretend as if something was happening, and after some minutes we would come out, and that would convince K.C, then I would collect my phone and go home. I thought I was discussing with a responsible person, not knowing that it was a set up between them. When we entered and sat down, he (Mr. Ogah) went to the door and pretended to have locked it. Unknown to me, he didn't. So, while we were discussing, K.C stormed into the room; and both of them had sex with me; beat me up without returning the phone to me, and still demanded the money they claimed I was owing."
Without stating how she managed to get out of the deadly rendezvous, the girl took her matter to the police all the same.
Clever by half
Confronted, the embattled Ogah claimed to have narrated his side of the story to the police under duress. He declined to talk freely to the press.
He, however, disowned the title 'lecturer", saying he is a technologist in the university.
Asked to explain what happened on the fateful day, Ogah retorted: 'I have made my statement to the police. I will be contradicting it because it was done under duress, but I did not rape her."
They are cultists - Police
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Fredrick N-Nudam, while parading the suspects, said that the duo forced the student at gun-point to their hideout along Rice Mill, Abakaliki, robbed her of her Motorola cell-phone, took turns to rape her before taking her nude photograph.
According to him, in response to the report, detectives attached to the Eagle Squad of the Ebonyi State Police Command swung into action, and arrested the rapist, one Anselem Ogah, a lecturer in the Department of Industrial Chemistry, EBSU.
He further described the randy lecturer as a notorious Black Axe cult member, adding that he has already confessed to the membership as well as committing the crime
According to the PPRO, 'his accomplice, one Kelechi Ugbala, escaped with the gun, but efforts is being made to track him down."