Reported by Evelin Usman and onozure
Diana for Vanguard
November 6, 2014 was like every
other day for 300 level student of Computer Science (names withheld) at the
University of Lagos, Akoka Yaba. As the ailing student who managed to attend
lectures stepped into her apartment located at Moremi hall, never in her wildest
imagination did she envisage she would end up being a victim of rape.
However, the signal of an imminent
emotional and psychological trauma reared up after one Daniel Okereke, a man
that had reportedly being wooing her since last month, came visiting. Without
any inkling of an apparent sinister motive, the undergraduate was said to have
reluctantly left to attend to her visitor,who upon seeing her condition, opted
to take her to a pharmaceutical store around Akoka to get some drugs.
Daniel Okereke
Not yet done with his show of
concern, the visitor reportedly took the female student to an eatery, so that
she could eat before taking the drugs. Thereafter, he reportedly took her to
his abode at Mende, Mariland where he allegedly ended up raping her.
Narrating her ordeal to the police,
the student who had marks of strings on her back, hands and legs , narrated how
she narrowly escaped being murdered by Okereke, in her bid to free herself from
his grips.
According to her: “ When he came
visiting, I never knew he had something sinister in his mind until we got to
his place. At the eatery, he ordered that the food be made take-away and asked
me to go eat it in his place and at the same time rest before taking me back to
the hostel.
Immediately we entered the room, he
secured the door and I had supper and later asked to be taken back . But he
said he must have sex with me. I tried to appeal to him to consider my state of
health and take me back to campus.
Before I knew what was happening, he
started beating me, forcing to have his way. As if that was not enough, he
called in seven guards in the compound who assisted him and tied me down. He
thereafter, went into his kitchen and brought out a knife, threatening to kill
me if I resisted. He took me to one of the rooms where he brought out a condom
and raped me.
Crime Guard gathered that when the
23 year-old lady was untied, she went violent and started shattering every
property she could lay her hands on. In the process, one of the objects she
allegedly threw out of the window, landed on a vehicle belonging to one of the
tenants, smashing its windscreen. That attracted neighbours.
The case was reported at Area ‘F’
Ikeja , following which Okereke was arrested . During interrogation, he
reportedly claimed to be nephew of a former Director -General of the Nigerian
Stock Exchange NSE and cousin to a front-line Nollywood actress who ironically
has a foundation which promotes the well being of women.
He was said to have been released on
bail, an action the victim frowned out. The case was thereafter transferred to
the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID Panti, where the 36-year-old
Okereke was rearrested.
He reportedly claimed that the
victim destroyed his property , an action that was engendered by the violence
meted to her. Okereke was charged to court Thursday. Equally charged was Idris
Abubakar, the security guard who allegedly assisted Okereke to tie up the
victim. He is an alleged accomplice.
Our ONOZURE DANIA who was in the
court put her report this way: Lagos- Two men Daniel Okereke 32 and Idris
Abubakar 37 were yesterday arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court,
over alleged assault and rape and threat to life.
The defendants who are businessman
and a security Guard respectively were docked before Magistrate Y. O
Aje-Afunwa.
They are facing a five count charge
bordering on conspiracy, assault, rape and threat to life preferred against
them by the police. The police prosecutor Superintendent Godwin Anyanwu, told
the court that the defendants committed the alleged offence on November 6,
2014.
He said that the incident took place
at Mende, Maryland in ikeja area of Lagos state between 2:30-11pm.
He said that the first defendant
allegedly raped and assaulted one lady (names withheld).
Anyanwu also claimed that the
defendant unlawfully had canal knowledge of the victim without her consent,
adding that he beat her up with a brown belt and also threatened her with a
knife.
According to the prosecutor, the
offences committed,contravened sections 409, 171, 261 and punishable under
section 56 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Earlier, the defendants pleaded not
guilty to the charges against them. The defendants counsel, R. Amokea, urged
the court to grant the defendants bail in the most liberal term, as the offence
committed, was a bailable offence and that they were still presumed innocent
until proven guilty.
The prosecutor Anyanwu objected to
the bail application, on the grounds that the charges levelled against the
defendants were charges of rape, sexual assault and occasional harm.
However, Magistrate Aje-Afunwa,
granted the first defendant bail in the sum of N200,000, with one responsible
surety in like sum, while the second defendant was admitted bail in the
sum of N50,000, with one surety in like sum.
She also said that the surety must
either be a relative, a cleric or a community leader.
The matter was adjourned till
January 9, 2015, for trial.
No comments:
Post a Comment