MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 31-year old man, Uwazie Chikara, has been arrested and charged in Lagos for allegedly engaging a 24-year old lady in sex in guise of deliverance prayer.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Ejigbo-Idimu Road, Ejigbo area of Lagos, where the lady boarded a tricycle operated by the suspect, Chikara and others now at large.
The lady was accosted and trapped with fake prophecies and she believed them.
Apart from engaging her in sex, they as well defrauded her after obtaining her valuables including money, which they withdrew through her ATM. They as well ordered her to go and borrow money from her relations, which he did.
According to the Police, the lady was returning to her house when she boarded the tricycle, unknown to her that the operator and the main suspect, Chikara were suspected local fraudsters. Immediately she got into the tricycle, they started giving her prophecies on what was happening in her life and she believed them.
She then followed them to a place where she was asked to bring all the money she had in her bank account. When they realized that she had no money any longer, they directed her to go and borrow money from her relations which she did.
Before then, the suspect, Chikara, forced her to remove her pants, penetrated her and pretended to be praying during the romp.
Among the items stolen from her included N100,000 cash, ATM cards of various banks belonging to her and her relations, phone and other valuables.
However, the whole scam got exposed when she contacted one of her relations to borrow more money and she revealed what she intended to do with it. The relation then realized that she was under a spell and contacted their others.
They provided some money and asked her to contact Chikara to give him more money. At that point, he fell into the trap and was nabbed. He was handed over to the Police at Ejigbo Division and was detained for interrogation over his criminal conduct.
During interrogation, he confessed that he was a local fraudster and did not cast out any evil spirit from the victim. He equally admitted obtaining sex from her in order to satisfy his sexual desire.
The Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him before the Ejigbo Magistrate Court for conspiracy, stealing and sexual assault.
He pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned.
The prosecutor, Supol Benedict Aigbokhan, then asked the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for legal advice because of the nature of the alleged offence as it attracts several years of imprisonment or life imprisonment.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. K.A. Ariyo, granted him bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum, who must show evidence of means of livelihood and tax payment.
The Court ordered that one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the defendant and the addresses of the sureties must be verified.
The Court also directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP for legal advice, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.
The matter was adjourned till 22nd August, 2023, for mention while the defendant was remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending the outcome of the DPP’s advice.