Rivers councilor who battered brother’s wife arrested

The police in Rivers State have arrested a councilor in the state, Blackson Nwanyawu (JP), from Etche local government area for allegedly battering his brother’s wife, Love Nwanyanwu, over an allegation of being a witch.

Confirming the arrest of the councilor, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Nnamdi Omoni disclosed that Nwanyawu was arrested and detained on Monday, November 16, after he reported himself to the police in response to their invitation after the case was reported by the Rivers State branch of the Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA.

The victim had posted the story of her battered face and body and claimed that the councilor, the leader of the Etche LGA legislative assembly, and some of his siblings had beaten her up and injured her in the process after labeling her a witch and slowing down the progress of their family.

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The case had generated a lot of heat with the FIDA taking up the case and reporting the matter to the Human Rights Desk of the Rivers Police Command.

“Blackson is here in answer to our invitation. He has made statements denying the fact that he assaulted the woman. We have asked him to call his siblings who were also mentioned in the case,” Omoni said.

He added that the matter is still under investigation while the councilor will be in detention and undergoing interrogation.

“He is in detention and we are ‘drilling’ him. He is denying assaulting the woman but we are going to verify our facts and confront him with the reality on ground, at the end of which the law will take its full course.”

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