The Commissioner of Police in Cross River State, Aminu Alhassan, has reportedly arrested Dr Idem Etuk Samuel the Managing Director of Mount Zion Clinic, Calabar, who allegedly raped his 15-year-old female patient, yesterday following a petition by Basic Rights Counsel.
Women rights groups, including the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Girls’ Power Initiative and Mother Ntuk Foundation, have called for thorough investigation and sanction against the doctor.
But lawyers to the suspect have insisted that their client be moved from police custody to the Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, because they suspected that he might be having mental difficulties.
Reacting, Principal Partner at Mother Glory Ntuk Foundation, Mrs Glory Mike Ntuk, said Dr Samuel should be made to face the law, adding that as a grandfather and a professional medical personnel who ought to offer protection to minors who were molested, he had lost moral rectitude to practice.
Mrs Ntik said, “If at that age and societal standing he is the one molesting children, and in this case those that have paid him for his professional services, he has truly disappointed the society. As a medical practitioner who, we the child protectors should run to to help the minors who are molested now breaking the law, then there is no hope for the society.”
President of FIDA, Ann Alorye Awah, said in a statement: “We urge the police to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter and arraign him for the law to take its course. Nobody is above the law. As a medical doctor, he should know better. What happened to the oath he took?”
Head of Programmes at Girls Power Initiative (GPI), Mrs Ndodeye Bassey-Obongha, said, “We hope that justice will be served. We pray that investigation will be well handled. We also pray that those handling her health would preserve the evidences. And we pray that her family will not later shy away because of threats as we usually find out when cases involve high profile suspects such as this. We are concerned that this type of case is often thwarted along the way, but we will join forces to follow it up.”
