MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 24-year old man, Jacob Ekene, has landed in trouble in Lagos State after he allegedly conspired with his friend, Olamilekan Saidi, gang raped a 14-year old girl and impregnated her in the process.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos, where the victim resides with her aunt.
Police operatives from the SCID, Yaba, have arrested Ekene and subsequently charged him before the Court while his accomplice, Saidi, fled and was said to be at large.
The arrested Ekene was arraigned before the Yaba Magistrates Court on three counts of conspiracy, rape, and inflicting bodily harm on the victim under the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.
According to the Police, Ekene committed the alleged offence after he met the girl at her aunt’s office, where she helped him with his National Identification Number card and told him to come to her house to collect the card after three days.
On the day Ekene visited the victim’s aunt, he met only the victim at home and when he asked after the aunt, the victim told him she was not back from work.
Ekene was said to have taken advantage of the woman’s absence to allegedly rape the 14-year-old girl and thereafter, threatened to kill her if she told anyone about what happened.
Ever since he perpetrated the crime, Ekene had reportedly been visiting the house and sometimes in the company of one of his friends, Saidi, who was also accused of having carnal knowledge of the minor.
Howver, the whole act got exposed when the victim’s aunt started noticing some changes in the girl’s body, she questioned her and during the interrogation, the victim mentioned Saidi and Ekene of having carnal knowledge of her and also threatened to kill her with a knife if she told anyone about it.
The aunt reported the matter to the Police and took her to a nearby hospital where a pregnancy test conducted on the minor which revealed that she was already pregnant.
The Police arrested Ekene but his accomplice, Saidi, fled after getting wind of the information that Policemen were on his trail.
After thorough interrogation, the Police found Ekene culpable and subsequently charged him before the Court for the alleged offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment if found guilty.
The prosecutor, Supol Thomas Nurudeen, told the Court that the alleged offences contravened Sections 411,137, and 245 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
The charge read in part, “That you, Jacob Ekene and one Olamilekan Saidi, who is still at large, on October 17, 2022, around 3.30 pm, in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit defilement and unlawful grievous bodily harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015″.
The Court did not take the plea when he was arraigned following a motion moved by the prosecutor asking the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for advice.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. P. E. Nwaka, ordered the remand of the defendant at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre for 30 days pending legal advice from the DPP.
The matter was adjourned till 25th May, 2023, for mention for the report of the DPP’s advice to be available, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.