Police Probe Alleged Sexual Abuse of Two Minors in Port Harcourt, Rights Group Demands Justice

The Rivers State Police Command has opened an investigation into allegations that a middle-aged man sexually abused two minors in Port Harcourt, sparking outrage from child-rights advocates and renewed calls for strict enforcement of laws protecting children.

Detectives attached to the Nkpolu Police Division in Mile 3 Diobu confirmed they are investigating a 45-year-old man, identified simply as Pasca, over the alleged defilement of an 11-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. The case was reported after the parents of the minors separately lodged formal complaints with the police.

According to police sources, the suspect is a resident of the Pipeline axis of Egbelu community in Ogbogoro Clan, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. The complaints alleged that both children were sexually abused at different times, prompting the immediate commencement of investigations by detectives.

The matter has also drawn the attention of a human rights advocacy group. The National Coordinator of the Centre for Basic Rights Protection and Accountability Campaign, Prince Wiro, said the case was reported to his organisation by the girl’s father, who alleged that the suspect, a former neighbour and family acquaintance, had been abusing the child since she was ten years old.

“This is a grave allegation involving minors, and it must be treated as a criminal matter, not a family dispute,” Wiro said, calling for a thorough and transparent investigation. He criticised reports that some members of a landlords’ association in the area attempted to convene a meeting to resolve the issue privately instead of handing the suspect over to the police.

Wiro warned that efforts to settle such cases outside the law undermine justice and expose vulnerable children to further harm.

The suspect, however, reportedly claimed he was already “settling” the matter with the girl’s father and expressed willingness to reach a similar arrangement with the boy’s mother. This claim was firmly denied by the girl’s father, who insisted that no settlement had taken place and that he wants the law to take its full course.

“I want justice for my child,” the father said, dismissing any suggestion of an out-of-court resolution.

As investigations continue, the Rivers State Police Command says the case will be handled in line with the law. The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, was yet to issue an official response at the time of filing this report. Rights groups insist the outcome of the probe will be a critical test of the state’s commitment to protecting children and prosecuting sexual offences without compromise.