The Initiative for the Downtrodden, a rights group in Nigeria, has written a petition to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, reporting how a French citizen ordered the arrest of a woman after a failed attempt to rape her.
The French citizen named Gueho Benoit, attempted to rape one Mrs Ukpoji in his house on Saturday before security operatives rescued her.
According to the petition, the woman’s husband works as driver for Bourbon Inter Oil Nigeria Limited, Ikoyi, Lagos, while the wife works as a steward for Benoit and they both live in the accommodation provided by the company.
They stated that the European summoned the victim and made moves to rape her but the woman was able to fight back and cry out for help.
“Having lured the wife into his apartment under the disguise of reporting the husband’s attitude, Benoit then sexually harassed, assaulted, abused, molested and brutalised the wife to the extent of striping her half-naked upon her refusal to surrender.
“The woman screamed very hard before the security officers on duty and others came to rescue her by forcing the door open.
“He was caught in the act fully naked and the wife half-naked,” Comrade Kenpeacemaker Onojah, President of Initiative for the Downtrodden, narrated.
He added that after so many pleas, Benoit was freed while the victim reported the matter to the oil company.
He, however, stated that on Sunday, police officers stormed the home of the victim to brutalise both she and her husband while also threatening to kill them.
“Benoit pleaded and promised that he would pay N200,000 to the victims as compensation.
“The victims immediately reported the matter to the Bourbon Inter Oil Company via the Personal Assistant to the Managing Director, who assured the victims of justice and that the management had already commenced the managerial investigative steps into the matter,” he added.
Onojah urged the Lagos Police Commissioner to swiftly commence an investigation into the matter to ensure the culprits were brought to book while the police officers are also identified and punished.
