BBC is reporting that the Nigerian police have arrested two people in connection with the gang-rape of a woman posted on the internet.
Bala Hassan, the commissioner for police in Abia State, said the two men were detained after cyber activists posted pictures and names online. There are no reports of who the suspects are as of right now.
The video has been the hot topic of discussion all over country this past week and has shocked Nigeria both for the brutal nature of the rape and the initial failure to investigate. The news was eventually carried by the Associated Press.
Despite the video of the rape being widely watched online, officials in Abia State had declared their short investigations over as the victim had not come forward, and an official statement from the governor claimed the rapists were not ABSU students and the video was put together by his political enemies.
What followed was a sustained campaign on social networks to force the police back into action and to uncover clues from the video that might identify the culprits.
On Thursday the Nigerian national assembly called on the police to re-open their investigation.
Three days later, based purely on names and photos posted online, they have made two arrests.
The rape victim also appears to have been located and women’s rights group has said they are now in touch with her and are trying to get her out of Abia State to where she can receive counselling and medical attention.
This high-profile case has highlighted what campaigners say is the Nigerian police’s refusal to take rape seriously as a crime.
Source: BBC,
http://naijalyfe.blogspot.com/2011/09/absu-gang-rape-case.htmlPhoto Credit: DailyMail Foreign Wire Service
