Police re-arrest minor, return bail sum

The police in Enugu State have re-arrested Sunday Okeagu, a 16-year-old suspect accused of raping a girl, 16.The police were also said to have returned the N10,000 bail sum paid for his initial release.PUNCH Metro had reported on Thursday, January 22, that Sunday was arrested for allegedly raping the girl, who was said to be in a romantic relationship with him.The girl, Joy (pseudonym), was said to have visited and spent the night at Sunday’s apartment in Nsukka, Enugu State, where he resided with his elder brother.It was learnt that Sunday, who had been granted bail, was re-arrested and taken to the Enugu State CID afterPUNCH Metro and a human rights organisation, Paths of Peace Initiatives, called to inquire about the case.The leader of the group, Dandy Eze, said in a petition to the Enugu State Commissioner of Police against the Divisional Police Officer of Nsukka UrbanPolice Division, CSP James Nwokolo, that Mr. John Utaze, the father of the girl in question had told him that he (Utaze) had told the police that he only brought the matter to them (the police) so that they could caution Okeagwu and his daughter.The petition, which was dated January 24, 2015 and signed by Eze reads in part, “As we write this petition, today being January 24, 2015, Master Sunday Okeagwu, the 16 year-old-boy in question is still being detained at D12 section of CID, Enugu State Police Command for an offence he did not commit. He has been in detention for over three weeks now.“The action of CSP James Nwokolo is unethical, barbaric and despicable. We demand the immediate release of Sunday Okeagwu and also call on the police to investigate the culpability of CSP James Nwokolo and his team.”The state Public Relations Officer, DSP Ebere Amaraizu, when contacted, asked our correspondent to give his telephone number to a family member of Sunday to call him so that he could intervene in the matter.