Ex-LGA Chairman In Rape Scandal As Youths Accuse Police Of Miscarriage Of Justice

Scores of angry youths a few days ago stormed the house of Perez
Peretu, a former local council chairman in Sagbama Local Government
Area of Bayelsa State to protest the reported rape of a 13-year old
minor in his house. The protesters booed the ex-council chairman and
called for his prosecution.
Several of the demonstrators told SaharaReporters that the former
council boss was caught "pants down" with the victim. Two sources
described the victim as a relative of the randy former chairman.
The youths also accused the police of succumbing to underground
efforts to cover up the crime. The protesters demanded an independent
investigation into the former chairman's crime of rape.
Two spokesmen for the youths told SaharaReporters that the Bayelsa
Police Command lacked the capacity to investigate the matter.
"Honorable Peretu is bribing the police to do his bidding," one of
them said.
But the Bayelsa police said they invited the former chairman of
Sagbama local government area of the state for questioning over the
alleged rape of a minor in Sagbama town.
Alex Akhigbe, the Public Relations Officer of Bayelsa Police
Command,said the police were yet to establish a case against the
former LGA boss.
Another source indicated that the police invitation was as a result of
thepublic outcry by scores of angry youths of Sagbama Town.
According to the police, even though the victim had admitted the
allegation of attempted rape, the police would have to question the
suspect before any conclusion could be made on the allegation.
But the angry youths insist that the allegation against the former
chairman was a clear case of rape and called for an independent
investigation into the matter.
Some of the protesters said that they had physically seized the former
local government boss and taken him to the Sagbama Police Station
forinterrogation and detention. But Mr. Akhigbe maintained that the
police had yet to receive any official complaint of rape or attempted
rape against the former council boss. "When the police got wind of the
development, we invited the former local government boss and
discovered that the case of rape against him was unsubstantiated and
unfounded," he said. His position led the youth protesters to declare
that the police were scheming to let Mr. Peretu off the hook for his
heinous crime