Isn’t it an exercise in futility? Tanzania Police starts investigation into rape accusations against their own officers

Tanzanian police said Friday that they were looking into accusations that some of their own officers raped and sexually assaulted numerous women in nightclubs, after a public uproar and demands for immediate action.

The accusations were presented during a public meeting this week with the commissioner of Handeni district in Tanga’s coastline area.

The meeting was captured on video with ladies sobbing as they described their ordeals.

“They compel you to have sex with them, and if you refuse, they will create unnecessary reasons to arrest you and put you in jail,” one unidentified lady stated in the video.

“They arrive at midnight, armed with weapons, and do whatever they want to the ladies. It’s very harsh “According to one of the attendees at the conference.

Politicians have called for swift action against the police officers identified in the video, with the women’s branch of the major opposition party Chadema asking “all other women suffering gender-based violence (to) raise their voice.”

“This is humiliation and abuse against women perpetrated by those who were meant to defend women,” The Alliance for Change and Transparency (ACT Wazalendo), another opposition group, said in a statement.

Police said they had launched an inquiry following the claims and asked people to remain calm.

“After noting the gravity of the allegations, we sent an investigator to examine the issue and determine what actually occurred,” police spokesman David Misime said in a statement.

“We are collecting evidence, and if we find that such allegations are accurate, we will take appropriate action. Nobody is exempt from the rule of law “He said.