Umuahia — SCORES of women from the five South-East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, were yesterday stopped by the Abia State police command from protesting in Umuahia, the state capital, against the controversial gang-rape alleged to have taken place at the state university, Uturu.

The women, who said they came under the umbrella of civil society groups in the South-East and Igbo Women Organizations, urged the government and police to conduct deeper investigation into the ugly incident.

This happened on a day Abia State police command promised to reward any person with information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators or identification of the rape victim with N500,000.

A statement by the command's spokesman, ASP Geoffrey Ogbonna, said: "The command in its usual manner of protecting informants' identity, assures utmost secrecy in this regard while a handsome reward of N500,000 awaits any one with useful information."

The women, who came into Umuahia with two big buses, were stopped close to Government House by the Divisional Police Officer of Umuahia and diverted to the Central Police Station.