The Lagos state government has
re-arraigned five students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) for allegedly
gang-raping a 17-year-old student of the institution (name withheld).
They were charged to court by the
state’s prosecution team on Thursday in a Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence
Court, Ikeja.
NAN reports those re-arraigned
are Moboluwaji Omowole, 19, Chuka Chukwu, 19, Peace Nwankama, 19, James Aguedu,
20 and Josephine Osemeka, 20.
They were initially arraigned on
February 26 and had pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge of defilement of
a child, permitting the defilement of a child and pro-curation.
Thursday’s proceedings was
scheduled for cross-examination of the complainant but the prosecution said
that based on new facts that emerged from the February 26 testimony of the
complainant, the defendants were re-arraigned on an amended five-count charge.
During the re-arraignment, they
pleaded not guilty the new charges of defilement of a child, permitting
defilement of a child, procuration and sexual assault.
According to Jide Martins, a
director in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the defendants
committed the offences sometime in 2017 at the UNILAG, Akoka, Lagos.
“Omowole, Chukwu and Aguedo
sometime in the month January and sometime in the month of February 2017
defiled the complainant by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her,” he
said.
“Chukwu sometime in January 2017
at No. 25, Shobande St., Akoka, Yaba, Lagos knowingly allowed Omowole to defile
the complainant by having unlawful sexual intercourse with her.
“Nwankama, Aguedo and Osameka
between the months of January to March 2017 were into the procuration
(obtaining) of young girls for the purpose of defilement.
“Osemeka sometime in the month of
January 2017, in UNILAG, sexually assaulted the complainant by kissing her.”
The offence, he said, contravened
the provisions of sections 137, 138, 140(1)(a) and 263 of the Criminal Law of
Lagos 2015.
Following their re-arraignment,
Adebisi Ademuwagun, the defence counsel to Omowole in view of the new charges,
requested for an adjournment in order to re-strategise.
“The charge against the first
defendant (Omowole) has increased from one to two and different dates and
venues have also been introduced in the charge.
“It is our humble submission that
the first defendant is given ample opportunity to prepare to meet this charge
in accordance with the requirement of fair hearing as contained on Section 36
of the 1999 Constitution.
“When the penalty for which the
first defendant is charged is heavy which is life imprisonment, it isn’t our
intention to delay the trial but it is our duty to assist this court in its
duties.
“We would be pleading with your
lordship to allow this matter to be adjourned to give the first defendant the
opportunity to prepare his case.”
Abiola Soladoye, the presiding
judge, obliged the requests of the defence counsel.
“Having listened to the
submissions of both the defence and prosecution counsel, it is in the interest
of justice that sufficient time is given to counsel to evaluate and
re-strategise.
“This case is adjourned till
October 15.”
NAN reports that the complainant
had on February 26 testified that she was lured by Nwankama who was her
roommate to High Rise, a staff quarters hostel at UNILAG.
She said she was gang-raped at
High Rise by eight male students and sexually assaulted by Osemeka.
She alleged that the gang-rape
and sexual assault at High Rise was videotaped.
According to the complainant, she
was also blackmailed with the video and further gang-raped on other occasions
by the defendants and their accomplices who are now at large.
N
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