Ogona Anita
The Rivers State Police Command today arraigned Dr Chidiebere Joshua Okeke, a medical doctor in the employ of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital this afternoon before a Port Harcourt Chief Magistrate court, on a one count charge of Assault Occasioning Harm.
Though the court granted him bail after he pleaded not guilty to the charge, Dr. Okeke could not meet up with his bail condition and is now cooling-off at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre as ordered by the court.
Speaking outside the court, Coordinator, Rivers State Response Team on Violence Against Women & Children, Tombari Dumka-Kote, told reporters that the issue of spousal battery and other forms of Gender Based Violence has been on the increase due to the non-prosecution of most perpetrators as a result of the deliberate dismissal of reported GBV cases by security agents.
Dumka-Kote said the arraignment of the medical doctor is another major success recorded in the fight to curb issues of gender based violence in the State.
He maintained that the many laws already put in place to protect women and children by the Rivers State Government, is a clear signal that perpetrators of violence against women and children will not be accommodated, nor tolerated in Rivers State.
Dr. Okeke had battered his wife and son, making them flee for safety from home, but the intervention of the Response Team and the Permanent secretaries of the Rivers State Ministries of Women Affairs, and that of Social welfare and Rehabilitation couldn’t make him repent and have a change of attitude.
Aside paying some Police officers to unofficially track and arrest his wife even while the matter was pending at the State CID, Port Harcourt were he was first arrested, Dr. Okeke had gone to violently threaten reporters of some Port Harcourt based Radio Stations for reporting the story of his arrest.
He had also filed a 25 paragraph law suit against his wife to claim custody of there children, against the wife’s demand for an apology for peaceful resolution of the matter.
The court also adjourned to 11, 15 and 16 November, 2022 for definite hearing of the matter.
Maureen Udeagha
Head, Communication & Child Protection RIVERS STATE RESPONSE TEAM ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & CHILDREN
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