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Tag: alleged rape

  • Alleged rape: Nollywood actor, Baba Ijesha to know fate July 14

    Alleged rape: Nollywood actor, Baba Ijesha to know fate July 14

    An Ikeja Special Offences Court on Monday reserved judgment until July 14 in the case of the embattled Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, alias Baba Ijesha , accused of defiling a 14-year-old minor.

    Baba Ijesha is facing a six-count charge of indecent treatment of a child, sexual assault, attempted sexual assault by penetration and sexual assault by penetration.

    The charges were proffered against him by the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

    Baba Ijesha, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

    Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo, adjourned the case for judgment after the prosecution and defence counsel had adopted their final written addresses.

    Defence counsel, Mr Dada Awosika (SAN), in adopting his final written address dated May 12 and filed on May 16, urged the court to dismiss the suit and discharge the defendant.

    Awosika argued that the footage of the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) was illegally obtained.

    He said: ” In the interest of justice, the exhibit A which was the CCTV footage that recalled the event was illegally obtained.

    “The exhibit was not tendered by the maker. It was tendered by Princess, the complainant.

    He argued that the recording had been tampered with especially since the defendant did not go to the complainant’s house uninvited.

    Awosika added that this was even more strange as he was accused of a crime seven years ago which was not reported to the police.

    He further submitted that the alleged confessional statement of the defendant failed the provision of Section 9 (3 ) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of Lagos State 2021.

    “The Evidence Act allows legislation to guide the admissibility of document before the court. ACJL has stated that if a confessional statement is to be used, it must meet some certain degree by ACJL which is not applied in this case.

    “We urge the court to discredit the confessional statement. The defendant moved in a jiffy to participate in a short skit that put him in trouble. My Lord, my client was trapped.

    “Concerning the age of the girl in question, Exhibits D and E are not saying the same thing.

    “It is our submission My Lord, that the court is bound to call the biological mother inside the box to tell us her real age or her birth certificate or scientific evidence is tendered to ascertain the age but none was done.

    “The prosecution agreed that the age of the minor must be established. However, it has also agreed that nothing has been done to provide the real age,” Awosika said.

    The Director of DPP, Dr Babajide Martins, in his final written address dated May 31, however, urged the court to convict Baba Ijesha as charged.

    He argued that one of the defence witness, Mr Lawrence Ayeni told the court that the CCTV recording could not be manipulated.

    “On the issue of the CCTV recording My Lord, the first defence witness(Ayeni) told this honourable court during cross-examination that it cannot be manipulated and that the content of CCTV cannot be changed.

    “Most importantly, he said he cannot say if the sexual assault did not happen. These are the testimonies from the defence witness My Lord.

    “The defendant admitted to have been with the girl in both the incident that happened seven years ago and the one that happened in 2021.

    “He also admitted to have sucked her fingers during the cross-examination.

    “On the issue of ACJL, the primary legislation supersedes the secondary legislation.

    “On the issue of medical certificate, the defendant said he did not have any issue with the medical doctor and had never met him when I cross-examined him.

    “As a result, he has no reason to mislead the court,” Martins said.

    Martins further told the court that the definition of a child was anybody below the age of 18 years and that the prosecution had proven that the girl was below the age.

    He added that the charge of defilement can be meted out irrespective of the age below 18.

    Martins said: “So far the age of the survivor is not up to 18, the charge is still defilement.My Lord, no amount of brilliant address can substitute for the evidence before the court.

    “We have a compelling evidence of six prosecution witnesses which I must say are not contradictory.

    The DPP said the defendant also admitted during the trial that he never mentioned that he was acting a script when he was detained by the police at Sabo and Panti.

    “Our position is that the prosecution has proven its case beyond reasonable doubts and we urge the court to please sentence the defendant as charged,” he said.

    The defendant was arraigned on June 24, 2021. During the trial, six prosecution witnesses testified against him.

    They were – actress and comedienne, Princess, the 14-year-old minor, a child expert, Mrs Olabisi Ajayi-Kayode, and medical doctor, Dr Aniekan Makanjuola.

    Others were the Investigating Police Officer, ASP Wahab Kareem and a policewoman, Insp. Abigail Omane.

    The DPP closed its case against the defendant on Dec. 15, 2021 while Baba Ijesha called four witnesses and closed its defence on April 1.

    The defence witnesses were Baba Ijesha (defendant) and Mr Lawrence Ayeni, an expert in video production and CCTV installation and maintenance.

    Mr Olukayode Olugbemi, a clinical psychologist and Mr Olukayode Ogunbanjo, the defendant’s friend and colleague also testified for the defence.

  • What social media users say about Chrisland girl’s virginity claim by her mother

    What social media users say about Chrisland girl’s virginity claim by her mother

    Netizens have reacted to a claim by the mother of the alleged raped school girl of Chrisland School, that her daughter was a virgin before she traveled to Dubai to represent their school.

     

    See Netizens reaction below:

     

    The 10-year-old pupil was among students selected to represent the school at the World School Games in Dubai.

     

    The assault was videoed by one of the students and it was alleged the school concealed it for a month.

     

    Investigations revealed that teachers and staff of the school accompanied the pupils to the competition. But the officials claimed to be unaware of the assault.

     

    Many parents of Chrisland School and others have condemned the school’s management for keeping the incident from the victim’s parents a month after she was assaulted.

     

    In the viral video, which was posted on the Instagram page of Ubi Franklin Ofem, the mother of the girl in the eye of the storm claimed the school attempted to cover up the assault from them till another parent showed her the video of the incident.

     

    Reacting on his Twitter handle, music producer, Ofem, narrated how his friend’s 10-year-old daughter was gang-raped by her fellow students, who recorded and shared it on Instagram.

     

    “Just got off the phone with a friend of mine. His 10-year-old daughter was selected to represent her school at the World School Games in Dubai. His daughter was raped by fellow students, videotaped and posted on Instagram and the school concealed it for a month.

     

    “He found out on his own when another parent called his wife and showed his wife the video of his 10-year-old daughter being circulated on Instagram. I have spent the last 1 hour listening to confessional statements by some teachers and I am begging this should rather be a dream,” Ofem tweeted.

     

    In an updated post on his Twitter, Franklin alleged the school took the girl from the parents claiming that they wanted to conduct COVID-19 test but rather took her for pregnancy test.

     

    However, in a twist, the school management suspended the 10-year-old pupil and the male students for taking part in a truth-or-dare game in Dubai.

     

    A statement dated April 14, 2022, by the head teacher of Chrisland School, Mrs. G.I. Azike, read: “It was discovered that your daughter was involved in an improper behaviour during the recently concluded World School Games in Dubai, with a few of her counterparts willfully participated in a game they called ‘Truth or Dare’, a game which led her and few other co-learners to carry out immoral act after the lights out instruction was given.”

     

    Azike said a full-scale investigation has been conducted and parents of the culpable students have been informed of the necessary punishment meted out on those involved.

     

    She said: “The parents gave their full cooperation, realizing the need to work with the school so that the learners can be corrected and be of expected proper behavior henceforth.

     

    “However, in the course of the school’s efforts to see how best we can help who was a major participant in the whole incident, every effort to inform you as her parent about the incident and ensure that this improper behavior is permanently corrected has proved to be futile.”

     

    The head teacher said the school cannot condone such misconduct and that the girl is placed on indefinite suspension ‘’until you as the parents ensure that she is punished, adequately counseled and rehabilitated.’’

     

    In a swift reaction, the mother of a 10-year-old pupil has cried out to Nigerians for help after discovering that her child was raped during a trip to Dubai for a competition, which was organized by the school.

     

    “A parent called me that she needed to see me urgently. I went to her house and she told me that something had been trending in Chrisland and she believes I was not aware. The woman showed me the video and told me that all the parents are aware. Immediately I informed my husband.

     

    “Please I am begging Nigerians to help me because Chrisland was trying to hide this issue. They were trying to push us out of the way and my daughter was affected psychologically. Please I need help as a mother. I am begging fellow Nigerians to help me.

     

    “They have been threatening my daughter that if she speaks out they are going to kill her. That it is a man’s world and nothing would happen. My daughter was dying in silence,” she stated.

     

    According to her, after they confronted the school about the assault, the school suspended the daughter. “Because we have started confronting them that we are aware of what they did, the school sent her a suspension letter.

     

    “When my daughter explained to me what happened, she said that they went out in the morning to have breakfast and one of the boys, Kachi, begged her to borrow him her phone charger which she obliged. After they had dinner, Kachi called her room that she should come and take her charger. She went there for her charger.

     

    “When she got into the room, one of them said she should take her charger from the toilet it was when she entered the toilet, that they hijacked her and told her to take a substance, so they were all under the influence. She said after that she did not know what she was doing again. They told her to be climbing them and someone stood there videoing them and posting it out,” she narrated in the video.

     

    Meanwhile, The Police Command in Lagos State has said it had begun an investigation into the alleged viral rape video purportedly depicting students of Chrisland School, Lagos.

     

    Spokesman for the command, Benjamin Hundey, in a statement said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Abiodun Alabi, ordered the investigation.

     

    Hundey quoted the police boss as saying that the investigation would establish the identities of the players in the video, the true incident in the video, and its geographical location.

     

    The investigation would also cover the alleged threat to life against a student of the school and circumstances surrounding the alleged repeated pregnancy tests conducted on a student without parental consent.

     

    “The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to an alleged rape video purportedly depicting students of Chrisland School, Lagos, going viral on social media. The command is equally taking cognizance of the cybercrime angle to the whole episode and will not hesitate to enlist the support of the Interpol should the need arises. For a holistic and unbiased investigation, the command shall be working with relevant ministries, departments, agencies, and non-governmental organizations,” he said.

     

    He gave the assurance that due diligence would be observed to ensure that there was no miscarriage of justice.

     

    Recall that a 47-year-old Chrisland School supervisor allegedly defiled an under-aged pupil. The minor was two years and 11-months at the time the alleged defilement occurred in 2016 at the VGC branch of the school.

  • Man who defiled own three underage daughters remanded in Kirikiri

    Man who defiled own three underage daughters remanded in Kirikiri

    An Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Lagos State has remanded a 43-year-old businessman, Emeka Orisakwe, for allegedly defiling his three underage daughters.

    The police, on Wednesday, charged Orisakwe, who resides at Maza Maza, Amuwo-Odofin, Lagos, with sexual assault.

    The Magistrate, Ejiro Kubeinje, did not take the defendant’s plea and ordered that he should be remanded in the Kirikiri Custodial Centre.

    Kubeinje directed the police to send the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.

    The prosecution counsel, ASP Bisi Ogunleye, told the court that the defendant committed the offence at his house between May and July 2021.

    “Orisakwe sexually assaulted his three daughters aged eight, six and four. Medical reports also showed that the children were defiled. This offence contravened Section 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015,” Ogunleye added.

    Section 261 of the law says, “Any person who penetrates sexually the anus, vagina, mouth or any other opening in the body of another person with a part of his body or anything else, without the consent of the person commits a felony and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for life.”

    Kubeinje adjourned the case till November 2, 2021 for legal advice.

  • Alleged rape: Baba Ijesha may be released Friday, defilement case wasn’t established Police source

    Alleged rape: Baba Ijesha may be released Friday, defilement case wasn’t established Police source

    A senior officer at the Lagos State Police Command has said that a directive had been given for the release of embattled Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju Omiyinka, aka Baba Ijesha, from custody.

    The source revealed that due to the current strike by members of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria, courts had halted sitting and the suspect could not be detained indefinitely without trial.

     

    The source, however, said inquiry into the recent claim against Omiyinka revealed that he did not molest the victim, adding that when she was questioned, the victim confirmed the same.

    The senior police officer stated : “There was no case of defilement, people are just talking out of sentiment. They are not talking from the point of law. We interviewed all parties involved in the case for three hours today (Wednesday).

    “The mother complained that her child was at the age of seven when she was defiled and the child pointed at Baba Ijesha. But the case was not reported until she was 14 years and under the law, the case has become statute-barred.

    “Regarding this new case, the CCTV footage has been assessed and nowhere was it captured that Baba Ijesha defiled her. The footage only showed him touching the victim’s body but it never showed him having any sexual intercourse with the girl. The girl also confirmed the same thing.

    “So, in law, it is a case of indecent assault and not sexual harassment, and it is open to bail. So, can we continue to keep him when the offence is subject to bail and when there is no court sitting? That is against his fundamental human rights and the police do not work on sentiments. Directives have been given out for his release on bail”, the source told Punch.

    The source, however, said that despite granting Omiyinka bail, investigation would continue, adding that the command had also sought legal opinion from the state Ministry of Justice.

    The source added, “A test was recently done on the victim and it was discovered that she had penetration. Is it the penetration of seven years that is still evident now, and who penetrated her then? Is there any medical report linking the man (Omiyinka) to the crime?

    “The CCTV footage never showed Baba Ijesha defiling her, but he confessed to touching her body indecently and apologised, and the girl confirmed the same.

    “Investigation is still ongoing and we have instructed them to conduct a medical examination on the victim at a government recognised medical facility. We are not specialists in the field and we have also sought legal opinion from the Ministry of Justice.”

    Meanwhile, Iyabo Ojo and Yomi Fabiyi on Wednesday took to their respective Instagram accounts to throw jabs at each other over the defilement of a teenager by their colleague, Baba Ijesha.

    Both actors were trending on the Nigerian Twitter space. While Iyabo was trending at the number one spot with over 7,500 tweets, Yomi Fabiyi was trending at number seven with over 2,000 tweets.

    In the same vein a myriad of celebrities have reacted to the trending issue.

    Outspoken media personality, Toke Makinwa said: “Stop shaming victims of abuse. Stop trying to analytically understand their statements. You clearly heard the child was failing in school, her brothers complained of a change in her behaviour pattern; you think they made all that up? You must be sick too.

    “The world is full of sick people. I once heard a grown man comment on how fresh a three-year-old’s bum was. He casually just blurted out ‘see as this baby’s bum bum fresh’. I cursed him out and guess what? People around thought I was exaggerating; like it’s just a compliment.”

     

     

  • Labourer, 46, in court over alleged rape of minor

    Labourer, 46, in court over alleged rape of minor

    A 46-year-old man, Suleman Adamu, appeared in a Jos High Court on Tuesday, charged with allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl.

    Adamu, a specialist in piecing firewood, who resides in Rikkos area of Jos, is standing trial on a one-count charge of rape.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the accused person had been in prison custody since he was first arraigned on June 14, 2014.

    According to the prosecutor, Mr J.D. Longden of the Plateau Ministry of Justice, Adamu committed the crime on March 7, 2014.

    Longden said that the mother of the victim, Mrs. Margret Ikokoyo, who lives at Anglo-Jos, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Division of Nigeria Police, Jos on March 7, 2014.

    He alleged that the accused person lured the victim into a bush and raped her.

    The prosecutor claimed that the accused had confessed to the police that he raped the minor after enticing her with “sweet talk and promises”.

    Longden said that the offence contravened Section 282 of the Penal Code, adding that offenders were liable to 14 years imprisonment on conviction.

    His claim was corroborated by the investigating officer, Mr A.S. Bilong, from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Counsel to the defendant, Mr M.S. Salihu, however, declared that the said confession was not credible, arguing that his client was tortured by the police to write it.

    Salihu urged the court to evoke Section 29 (3) of the Evidence Act, to conduct a trial within trial, to find out if the statement was obtained voluntarily.

    Justice Nafisa Musa, after listening to the plea, adjourned the matter to May 24 and 25 for trial within trial, and the continuation of hearing.