Friday 28 March 2014

Court remands man for allegedly raping minor

An FCT Chief Magistrates’ Court in Karu on Thursday ordered one Abubakar Lawal to be remanded in prison custody for allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl.

Chief Magistrate Hadiza Shagari remanded the accused after he pleaded not guilty to one count of rape charge.

Shagari ordered that the accused be remanded until April 23 for commencement of trial.
The prosecutor, Cpl. Umar Mohammed of the Karu police station, had told the court that Lawal, 27, raped the minor at Cutland Garden, Karu, Abuja.

Mohammed said that one Ado Salisu, a security guard attached to the garden, saw the minor sleeping under a tree because she had lost her way.

According to him, Salisu offered the girl a room to sleep pending when he would be free to take her to the police station.

He alleged that Lawal sneaked into the room when the guard had returned to his duty post and carried out the act.

“Salisu heard the girl shouting for help and he rushed into the room to meet the accused naked on top of the girl.

“The case was reported at the station on March 23 by the victim through the help of Ado and some neighbours,” he stated.

The offence, according to him, contravened Section 282 of the Penal Code.

Mohammed urged the court to deny the accused bail on the grounds that the offence was not ordinarily bailable and carries a life imprisonment upon conviction.
 

Thursday 27 March 2014

JTF officer accused of raping 4-year-old girl in Plateau

JOS— A member of the Special Task Force, STF, in Plateau State ( names withheld), has allegedly raped a four-year-old girl in Kassa village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.

Villagers said the suspect was in the habit of raping minors as this was the third time he had committed the act by luring victims into his makeshift tent.

The Chairman of the Local Government, Emmanuel Loman, confirmed the incident, saying “a policeman attached to the STF in Barkin Ladi raped a girl at Kassa village yesterday.

“The girl has been bleeding profusely and is currently hospitalised at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital.”

He added, “it is sad that some security personnel posted to restore law and order have abandoned their duties for something else. What has restoring order got to do with defiling a minor?”

He called on the Commander of STF, Major General David Enetie, to ensure that the culprit faces the wrath of the law as the local government would also follow the case to its logical conclusion.

The Medical Officer of Barkin Ladi General Hospital, Bapigang Audu, said: “A minor of about four years was, yesterday, rushed to the hospital and from results conducted so far there was forceful penetration as her hymen was broken.”

Audu further lamented the high rate of rape cases in the locality, stressing that over 10 cases of rape had been brought to the hospital in the past six months.

Source
JOS— A member of the Special Task Force, STF, in Plateau State ( names withheld), has allegedly raped a four-year-old girl in Kassa village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of the state.
Villagers said the suspect was in the habit of raping minors as this was the third time he had committed the act by luring victims into his makeshift tent.
The Chairman of the Local Government, Emmanuel Loman, confirmed the incident, saying “a policeman attached to the STF in Barkin Ladi raped a girl at Kassa village yesterday.
“The girl has been bleeding profusely and is currently hospitalised at the Barkin Ladi General Hospital.”
He added, “it is sad that some security personnel posted to restore law and order have abandoned their duties for something else. What has restoring order got to do with defiling a minor?”
He called on the Commander of STF, Major General David Enetie, to ensure that the culprit faces the wrath of the law as the local government would also follow the case to its logical conclusion.
The Medical Officer of Barkin Ladi General Hospital, Bapigang Audu, said: “A minor of about four years was, yesterday, rushed to the hospital and from results conducted so far there was forceful penetration as her hymen was broken.”
Audu further lamented the high rate of rape cases in the locality, stressing that over 10 cases of rape had been brought to the hospital in the past six months.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/03/jtf-officer-accused-raping-4-year-old-girl-plateau/#sthash.nsk6Ej4p.dpuf

Police Arraign Man, 38, Over Alleged Rape Of Teenager

A 38- year- old tricycle rider (Keke Napep), Joseph Akpu, on Thursday appeared in a Federal High Court in Enugu for allegedly raping a 10- year-old girl.

The accused, of Achara layout Enugu, is facing a one count charge of rape.

The Prosecutor, Mr Moses Onyia, said that the victim’s mother, whose name he did not mention, arranged with the accused to convey the girl from Achara layout Enugu to her school.

He said that the accused was being paid N3, 000 per month for the service.

Onyia added that the arrangement the accused entered into with the child’s mother started in September 2012 at Achara layout Enugu.

“The arrangement was going on until June 2013 when the accused came and picked the victim.
“Instead of taking her to school he diverted to his house and forced her to bed.
“He threatened to kill her with a knife if she informed either her mother or any other person.
The accused was raping her repeatedly from 8 a.m to 1.30 p.m and he now took her home.
“At home, the victim was behaving strangely, a development that prompted her mother to ask her what was wrong with her.

“In her response, she complained of headache which the mother treated.
“The next morning the accused came and picked her and went to his house and started raping her again.

“However, luck ran out of him when one of the accused’s neighbours noticed what was happening and invited the police,” he explained.

Onyia, who is also Counsel to the police, said that it was at the police station that the victim opened up and explained everything to her mother.

The Counsel to the accused, Mr Hillary Aleke, said that his client did not force the victim to the bed, adding that it was an agreement between the victim and the accused.

He said that if a girl of 10 years could hide such a thing from her mother it meant that “she has been doing it.”
Aleke said that there was no point suffering his client as he was not the first person that had an agreement affair with a girl.
Justice Dorathy Agishi adjourned the case until April 7 for hearing. (NAN)

Source

Wednesday 26 March 2014

Policeman 32, rapes JSS 1 virgin girl

ON a daily basis, the evil in this world is becoming very alarming. It is true that the basic duty of the police is to protect lives and properties of the citizens, but anything contrary is a breach of police Oath.
How police corporal raped a 12 year-old- girl
Olalekan Lasisi, a-32 year police corporal attached to Ekiti State Police Command, has landed in ‘hot soup’ and risked losing his police certificate because he could not control his libido. Nigeria Standard learnt his lust for minor, especially under-age girls while on patrol has brought a lot of shame to the police.
Investigation by Nigeria Standard in Ado Ekiti revealed that Lasisi, by his action abused his privilege as a law enforcement officer when he allegedly raped and impregnates a 12-year-old pupil, Kemi Olawale (real names withheld). Olawale, a virgin and orphan raped twice by Lasisi around November last year is now six months pregnant.
Ambushed by Lasisi from school
Investigation by Nigeria Standard showed that this alleged ‘serial rapist’ sighted Olawale while being sent on errand in Basiri area of Ado Ekiti. Eye witness account had it that Lasisi looked everywhere to ensure no one sighted him. Immediately, he dragged her inside a bush and had several rounds of sex with the JSS 1 girl. He allegedly gagged her mouth in order not to attract attention of passers-by.
Victim stopped schooling
Few weeks after the incidence, the girl stopped schooling and was afraid to tell Mrs. Juliana Olajiga, her guardian for fear of being reprimanded. Moreso, Olajiga was said by neighbours to have traveled at a time the incidence occurred. Olajiga reportedly claimed that sometime ago she became sick and her children took her away from Ado Ekiti for proper medication.
Olajiga claimed that on her return by April, she noticed some changes in the body of Olawale. She confronted her that she may be pregnant, but the minor denied. To put her mind in rest, she took the ‘victim’ to a near-by laboratory for a clinical test. There, it was discovered that Olawale was already six month pregnant.
Olajiga wounded by Lasisi
When Olajiga invited Lasisi whose eyes were ‘red’, body stank of ‘alcohol’ to her house and confronted him on the damage done to the future of the JSS 1 pupil, he flared up, injured her, after dealing her several blows and slaps.
Women group rise in defence of rape victim
In view of the increasing rape incidence in the country, a non-governmental group (NGO) in Ado Ekiti, coordinated by Mrs. Rita Ilevbare petitioned Olayinka Balogun, Ekiti State Commissioner of Police (CP) and demanded that Lasisi be arrested for allegedly raping a minor after Olajiga had sought reliefs from the group.
CP position
In his response, Balogun, the police boss in Ekiti reportedly confirmed the receipt of the petition and said the suspect (Lasisi) had been arrested on the strength of the petition, adding that a senior police officer had been directed as an Investigating Police Officer (IPO) to handle the case.


Student in prison custody over rape

Abuja – An Abuja Senior Magistrates’ Court in Karu, FCT on Wedneday, ordered that a student, Fidelis Ojor, 19, be remanded in Keffi Prison, pending ruling in a bail application.

Ojor is arraigned for attempted rape of a minor.

Senior Magistrate, Anna Akobi, fixed the date after hearing an oral bail application by the counsel to the accused, Mr Sunny Egbaji.

Akobi fixed April 4 for ruling in the bail application.

Ealier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Bulus Samuel, told the court that Ojor, who lives behind Gowon Barracks, Abuja, lured a three-year-old girl into his house where he attempted to defy her.

Samuel alleged that the case was reported at the police station on Jan. 21 by Mr Chibueze Okereke, the girl’s father.

He further alleged that the accused forcefully inserted his finger into the minor’s private part, leaving her with bruises and severe pains.

He said that the offence contravened section 285 of the Penal Code, which prescribed a seven-year jail term for attempted rape.

The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Counsel to the accused, Egbaji, made an oral bail application, stating that “the accused is a promising young man, who has unfortunately become a victim of this allegation’’.

But the prosecutor objected to the application on the ground that offences bordering on rape were not ordinarily bailable, adding that investigation was still on-going.

He stated that the police were still awaiting results of the medical test carried out on the victim from the hospital.

“Granting him bail could affect our investigation as we are not magicians to fabricate facts.

“Besides, the accused had earlier been arraigned on the same matter at the Upper Area Court in Karu and the prosecutor applied for withdrawal of the case which was granted.

“The prosecutor re-arrested the accused, who was in police custody for more than two weeks, before he was brought to this court today (Wednesday).” (NAN)



Source

Monday 24 March 2014

Police Arrest 12 Students In Kwara For Rape

The police command in Kwara State has arrested 12 students of some tertiary institutions in the state for alleged rape cases.

The state police commissioner, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor, made this known when he visited the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Professor AbdulGaniyu Ambali in his office.

Aisabor lamented that most criminal activities were being committed by undergraduates and able-bodied youths and challenged universities in the country to join hands with the police in fighting crime.

While noting that security is a collective responsibility, he called on students, lecturers and traditional rulers, among others, to collaborate with the force in reducing the menace of insecurity.

“When you go abroad, you discover that the success of their police is built on information sharing by the public. Information is vital to the police. The police cannot be effective without credible information. Development takes place only in an atmosphere of peace and that is why security is a collective responsibility. The police need the universities as much as the universities need the police. We should work harmoniously,” Aisabor added.

Responding, Ambali described the new police commissioner as a symbol of hope for the police and the nation because of his track record, emphasising that the police is crucial to the sustenance of peace and harmony in the country.

LeadershipNGA

Sunday 23 March 2014

Police smash robbery, rape gang in Akure

The Police in Ondo State have arrested a gang of armed robbers, who robbed one Charles Julius and raped his wife in Akure on March 9  2014.

According to the police, the armed robbers broke into Julius’ house through the wall while he was at home with his family and demanded for money at gunpoint.

The robbers were said to have carted away the sum of N135,000 and other valuable items and raped the man’s wife in his presence.

Police Commissioner, Ondo State, Isaac Eke, said, “Upon this information, operatives immediately swung into action and the suspects were arrested.

“They include, Falade Ayomide, Matthew Adeyemi, Ahmed Adeyeye and Kayode Adewale, alias Ologbo.”

Eke said on interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and would soon be arraigned in court.
He also said men of his command rescued a kidnapped student of Leeds City University, Ibadan, Adekunle Olanrewaju, after intercepting the kidnappers along Ajagba/Agadagba Road in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State.

“One Gasiakpo Niakpo, a 28-year student of Niger Delta University, Bayelsa State was apprehended on the spot, while his accomplices, Henry, Messiah and Edward Onwei escaped,” Eke said.
He noted that victim was undergoing his teaching practice at the Methodist High School, Expressway, Ibadan where he was kidnapped.

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Raped, eyes plucked by ritualists, woman cries for help

The sad look on the faces of sympathisers and newsmen who had gathered in the female surgical ward of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital told it all.


Some of them could not control their emotions as they rained curses on the three heartless men who raped and removed the eyes of a young woman in  Lukshi Village of Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State. They could not help but wondered what could have prompted anyone to sexually abuse the woman and also deprive her of sight.

Languishing in pain on her hospital bed, the victim, Zainab Mohammed struggled to come to terms with this pathetic reality as she kept asking God why life has treated her so unfairly, especially as she may never see again.

Narrating her ordeal to newsmen, the 32- year-old mother of four said on that fateful day, she was returning home after attending a turban ceremony when she was attacked by three men inside a bush.

According to her: “After attending a turbaning ceremony in Lukshi, a village in Dass Local Government, I started to head home to meet my family as there was nobody to cook for them. When I reached a particular area close to a bush, I saw three men looking at me as I approached them.

“One of them approached me and said that he wanted to have sexual intercourse with me and that he was willing to pay for it, but I objected because I am a married woman. When they saw that I was not willing to cooperate with them, they pushed me to the ground and dragged me inside the bush and raped me, one after the other.

“After raping me, one of them brought out a knife, stabbed and plucked out my right eye with it, while the other two  held me tightly to the ground. He also tried to removed the left eye,but he could not. But the eye ended up being damaged. After doing this, they left me in my pool of blood and fled”.

Zainab called on the state government and well-meaning Nigerians to assist her financially as her husband is not capable of taking care of all the medical expenses.

The victim’s husband, Mohammed Usman, who is still traumatized over the predicament of his wife told Vanguard Metro, VM, the situation has distabilized his family.

Giving account of how he received the bad news, he said:  “I waited for my wife to return from the ceremony she attended in a nearby village,but she did not show up . When it was getting dark, I began to get worried and wanted to go and look for her.

Suddenly, some of my neighbours ran to my house to inform me that my wife was attacked while returning from the ceremony. What broke my heart was that the attackers did not only rape her, but also blinded her”.

He called on the state government to assist him , saying that he was a poor man and cannot shoulder the financial responsibilities of his wife’s medical treatment.

The state Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Haruna Mohammed confirmed the arrest of  the three suspects in connection with the incident. DSP Mohammed gave the names of the suspects as Sabo Rabo  of Durr Katanga Village, Bitrus Yakubu of Dado Village and Mohammed Bamigboye of Durr Katanga Village. According to him: “The three suspects that were responsible for raping and removing the eyes of a young lady while she was returning from a ceremony were arrested following some useful information given to the police by some residents in the area”.

While saying that the suspects confessed to the crime and will be charged to court, he urged residents in the state to be conscious of their environment and report any suspicious character to the police when the need arises.

In his own confession, one of the suspects ,Bitrus Yakubu, a 45- year-old man, informed that they were instructed by one native doctor called Galambi to pluck out the eyes of a woman for a reward of N1million after the operation.

He said: “One native doctor, Galambi, told me and my colleagues to get him the eyes of a woman. I don’t know what he intends to do with the eyes, but he promised to give us N1 million after the operation. We could not resist the offer because of poverty and the desire to become rich people like our friends”.

Bitrus also revealed that it was Sabo Rabo and Mohammed Bamigboye who raped the woman and removed her eyes,adding that it was actually his first time of committing a crime like that.

In his confession,the native doctor, Galambi denied  sending the suspects to remove the eyes of the woman,but admitted receiving the eyes from them. “The men approached me to prepare some charms for them because they wanted protection; so I told them to get the eyes of a woman, which they agreed to bring.

Another purpose of the charm is to help them to disappear whenever they want to. I don’t know whose eyes they removed or how they got it,my own work is to prepare the charms for them,” he said.

He said he never promised to give them the sum of N1 million as alleged by the three suspects, adding that as a native doctor what he demanded from his clients was not strange.

The Head of Ophthalmology Department of ATBU, Dr .Mohammed Mahdi Abdull who operated  on Zainab told VM that: “When she was taken to the theatre for surgical operation, we discovered  lacerations on the lid of the right eye which was swollen and the eyeball was already ruptured, but on the left eye, there was no eyeball because it was completely damaged”.

The doctor expressed optimism that Zainab may be able to see with her right eye after operating and repairing the globe.

Source

Rape: Nigeria is not protecting its women – Onyeka Onwenu

Veteran singer cum Director of Women Affairs, Onyeka Onwenu has opined that the Nigerian constitution lacks adequate protection rights for Nigerian women.

Onwenu who recently was allegedly accused of assault by an Abuja based business woman, further spoke on the need for government and the society to rise against all forms of crimes against women.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Onyeka suggested steps to ending the rising cases of rape in the country.

“I think rape has always been part of our society, and we have not given it prominence because the security agents, like the police, do not take it seriously. It is a crime against womanhood, but it is not given the attention it deserves. That is because we have not really given women their due. Nigeria has not really protected the women.

“We do have domestic violence, rape and others, but when it is reported to the police, they will simply say just go and settle it. They will even blame it on the woman, by telling her, eh na you cause am, na the way you they waka provoke the man (meaning that she sexually provoked the man by her seductive steps).

“Other societies have taken steps to increase the sanction attached to rape. It is such a violation of your person; you have no right, no personhood. It goes to suggest that you are a piece of property to be used; and it is up to the police and the society to deal with it. Women must report rape, no matter the stigma that is attached to it.

“You know when the reportage of rape increases; we can now use that as a tool to bring the enforcement down. That will make it totally unacceptable and all the government agencies will now enforce the law and bring it to the forefront. So, when it happens, we will then hold on to the police and say you must prosecute.
Anybody caught in such act must be punished; the person should go to jail to prevent him from doing it to the next woman.

Stressing on the inadequacy of protection rights for Nigerian women, the songwriter said “The police feel no obligation to prosecute sex offenders. They see rape is a little thing. They would say rape is just a crime against women. Or when a husband beats the wife into coma they will say go and settle it at home. The same home where you were nearly killed? I think women should be able to access a lawyer in pushing their cases.

“Yes, all that should follow so that as the police take it more seriously, the society will take it more seriously too. The more people get punished, and the more people speak up against it, the more we stand to make success in protecting women’s rights. We can say ‘oh, women, you really have to go there and be screaming and demonstrating, and then we will take it seriously.’ No, everything must go hand in hand. Our lawmakers as well must take it seriously. Any crime against a woman is crime against the family.” She concluded

Source

No To Rape

The campaign against rape should from the home, Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, founder, Stand To End Rape, an online non-governmental initiative, has said. The former United Nations intern quizzed: “How do you describe a father or an uncle defiling a six-year daughter or niece? That is as low as it gets,” she said.
The figures to support rape is on the increase are staggering. Lagos State recorded 678 rape cases between March 2012 and March 2013, with many experts claiming that many rape cases are unaccounted for. Random study of students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan found that in their lifetimes 1.7 per cent (2.5 per cent of males and 1.1 per cent of females) had raped and 2.7 per cent (5.3 per cent of males and 0.9 per cent of females) had attempted rape.

Out of a sample of 295 female students from Ebonyi State University Abakaliki, 36.7 per cent had experienced sexual harassment/victimisation at least once on campus. Of this, 32.4 per cent had been raped (10.8 per cent of the sample).

A study comparing the sexual practices of 12-19-year-old students with and without mild/moderate intellectual disabilities from schools across Oyo State found that 68.3 per cent of the sexually experienced intellectually disabled females reported a history of rape victimisation compared to 2.9 per cent of the sexually experienced non-disabled females.
In 2013, in a poll of 585 randomly selected adults from the six geopolitical zones by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Polls in collaboration with the Gallup Organisation, 34 per cent of the respondents answered ‘What do you think is the most prevalent cause of rape in the society?’ with ‘indecent dressing’ while 29 per cent said they personally knew a victim of rape.

Osowobi believes that rape victims find it difficult to tell their experience because people in Nigeria, even parents, often blame victims rather than the rapist. Traditional values, culture and mentality have played their role in condemning rape victims but Osowobi strongly thinks a massive campaign against rape can change all that. “In Nigeria, the victim is always at the receiving end. Most of the people here do a lot of victim naming. It is either they say she was indecently dressed or what was he or she doing with that person or in that place,” she said.

She explained that unless people open their minds and weigh rape issues with sensitivity the number of rape cases could grow. “I think it is time for us to have a re-orientation on how we think about rape. In as much as I don’t advocate for indecent dressing, however, it is not a justification for you to rape somebody. So we need to clear our mind and have a different perspective on rape,” she stated.
Since Osowobi established her initiative in September 2013, she said many people have been sharing their experiences with her, particularly via social network sites, Facebook and Twitter. Her rape campaign goes beyond the victims. She also wants Nigerians to respect the position of others on sex. “When a woman says no, that no should be no. I had a conversation with someone who said he does not believe in rape or no. He said if a girl is drunk and has been touching his sensitive parts and he decides to sleep with her and she says no, he would not accept because she is under the influence of alcohol and could mean the opposite of what she’s saying.”

She added that: “There is very little difference between you wanting to satisfy your sexual desires and raping someone. But the truth of the matter is that once a lady says no, even if she is under the influence of alcohol, then her word should be respected.”

Osowobi’s passion to help sensitise Nigerians and rape victims was nurtured at Half The Sky Movement, New York, USA. “I read the news everyday and virtually every newspaper had rape on it and that spurred me. With the experience I have gained I decided that since I know how the system works for rape survivors abroad why can’t I bring it back to my own community,” she said.

She advised rape victims to speak up and show evidence of their rape. She noted that this is one way by which the crime can be curbed. “The first thing I tell rape survivors or victims is that they must not take their bath. Once you have been raped do not clean up, just go to the hospital to get checked as well as a medical report to prove that you have been raped,” she emphasised.

She said the government also has a major role to play in rape. “I think if a man can go as low as raping or defiling his own daughter, a six-year-old girl, I don’t think he deserves any fair judgement. I think he should be jailed. I believe that a defined concrete judgement should be meted against every rapist, maybe 14 or 15 years. And after jail, you will be placed on a rape offender register where you can’t get job in certain industries. You have created awareness that after jail you have another life out there, after jail you can’t any job out there,” she said.

Osowobi noted that rape is not exclusive to girls or women. She said increasingly boys are being raped by their aunts, maids and even teachers in school. She wants parents to help their children by educating them.

Source

4 Mauritanian Police Officers Imprisoned For Rape


Nouakchott Court on Wednesday sentenced four Mauritanian traffic police officers to seven years jail term for raping a Senegalese national in 2013.

Three of the four were sentenced to seven years in prison, the fourth to two years, while the fifth officer was acquitted.

The five traffic officers were detained by the prosecutor in Nouakchott and sacked from the force in November 2013.

They abducted a Senegalese national working in a restaurant in Nouakchott and three of them raped her.

The victim successfully identified the criminals who were arrested by the police and placed in detention.

The rape of the young Senegalese woman raised anxiety in the capital, with some non-governmental organisations organising demonstrations to condemn violence committed against women and demanding that justice be done.

Aminettou  El-Moctar, a Mauritanian woman leader, welcomed the court’s verdict, saying justice should be done in all cases of violence against women .(Xinhua/NAN)

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Man, 20, rapes 8-yr-old boy

DUTSE — The Jigawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, says it has arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly raping an eight year old boy in Dutse Local Government Area of the state.

The Commander, Mr. Muhammad Gidado, disclosed this yesterday.

Gidado said that the suspect was arrested in the Jigawa Tsada quarters of Dutse town on Sunday following intelligence report. He said that the suspect allegedly lured the boy into his room and committed the offence.

Gidado added that a medical report by Rashidi Shekoni Specialist Hospital, Dutse, had confirmed that the boy was raped.

He said that the suspect confessed to have committed the offence with the boy on previous occasions, and that he lured the child with N20 each time. Gidado said that the suspect would be charged to court.

Source
DUTSE — The Jigawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, says it has arrested a 20-year-old man for allegedly raping an eight year old boy in Dutse Local Government Area of the state.
The Commander, Mr. Muhammad Gidado, disclosed this yesterday.
Gidado said that the suspect was arrested in the Jigawa Tsada quarters of Dutse town on Sunday following intelligence report. He said that the suspect allegedly lured the boy into his room and committed the offence.
Gidado added that a medical report by Rashidi Shekoni Specialist Hospital, Dutse, had confirmed that the boy was raped.
He said that the suspect confessed to have committed the offence with the boy on previous occasions, and that he lured the child with N20 each time. Gidado said that the suspect would be charged to court.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/03/man-20-rapes-8-yr-old-boy/#sthash.xNwjFJA7.dpuf

Man Remanded Over Rape, Murder Of Teenager

An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos yesterday remanded a menial worker, Ikechukwu Egbo, at the Ikoyi Prison over the alleged murder of a 12-year-old girl, Bose Ogoja.

The Chief Magistrate, Miss S.O. Solebo, who did not take the plea of the accused, gave the order, pending an advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions.

Earlier, the prosecutor, Insp. Richard Odigie, told the court that the crime was committed on December 30, 2013, at Ajara Dokoh in Badagry, near Lagos.

Odigie told the court that the accused allegedly attacked the deceased and dragged her into the defunct Nigeria Telecommunications Office, raped her and strangled her to death.

“The accused (allegedly) ran away when he noticed the girl was dead. The complainant called in the police and the accused was arrested,” Odigie said.

He said that the offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Section 221 provides that any person who commits murder shall be sentenced to death.
The court adjourned the case till April 11 for mention.

In a related development, a 20-year-old man, John Peter charged with assaulting and defiling a seven-year-old girl also appeared before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Peter, a trader, who resides at No 16, Kushimo Street Ikotun, Lagos, was alleged to have defiled the minor at about 2pm on February 15, 2014, in his apartment.

The prosecutor, Insp. Richard Odigie, told the court that the accused and parents of the girl were neighbours in the same building.

LeadershipNGA

Monday 17 March 2014

Court Remands 2 In Prison Over Rape Of Kwara Poly Students

An Ilorin Magistrate’s Court has remanded two persons, Tajudeen Saadudeen, 28 (aka Reyes) and Olasunkanmi Mojeed, 24, both of Agbede area, Ilorin over their alleged involvement in cases of rape and criminal activities at the Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.

The suspects were charged to court on a five-count charge of criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, being in possession of criminal charms, disturbance of public peace and being members of a secret cult.

The offences contravene sections 97, 397, 217 and 113 of the Penal Code Law and section 11(1) of Secret Cult And Secret Society In Educational Institution (Prohibition) Law 2004 of Kwara State.

According to the police First Information Report (FIR), the accused and others now at large are members of the Eiye confraternity who commandeer innocent female students of the Kwara State Polytechnic through intimidation with guns and other dangerous weapons to have carnal knowledge of them.

The FIR added that the police arrested the accused at Agbede/Lalolo area of the polytechnic based on information and a search conducted in the residence of Mojeed led to the recovery of assorted criminal charms and different kinds of handsets and laptop computers.

It added that the accused and others now at large used a locally made pistol to gang rape a female student on March 2, 2014 and Mojeed’s residence is the rendezvous of the Eiye secret cult where innocent and defenseless female victims of the institution were raped.

The police prosecutor, Lukman Adenigbe objected to the bail of the accused, arguing that cases of rape and cultism are rampant in the society and that investigation into the case is still ongoing.
Counsel to the accused, Tunde Olumo, urged the court to grant them bail in line with section 36(5).

Source

Court Remands Man, 25, For Alleged Rape Of Minor

An Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court on Monday remanded a 25-year-old, unemployed man, Damilare Adegoke, for alleged rape of 12-year-old girl.

Prosecutor Joshua Oladoye told the court that the accused committed the offence on March 1 at Najas Compound, Isale-Osun in Osogbo.

Oladoye said the accused, who lives in the same compound with the victim, lured the minor into his room and had carnal knowledge of her without her consent.

He said the offence contravened Section 31(1) of the Child’s Right Law of Osun 2003.
The accused pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr Olusola Aluko, ordered that the accused to be remanded in prison custody.
Aluko also directed that the counsel to the accused, Miss Bose Dada, to file a formal bail application for her client.

He adjourned the case to April 29, for mention. (NAN)

Saturday 15 March 2014

Gang-rape: How Female Students In Kwara Institution Live In Fear

The last may not have been heard about the incessant rape of female students of the Kwara State College of Health Technology, Offa in Offa local government area of the state by gangs of several men at a time. ABDULLAHI OLESIN writes.

Irked by the rampant rape cases in the college, the Commissioner of Police last week said he would recommend the closure of Kwara state College of Health Technology, Offa over the alarming rate of gang-rape cases, saying, “I don’t know what is wrong with that school. If I have my way I would close down the school. And I am going to recommend to the state government to close down the school”.

The state police commissioner, Mr. Ambrose Aisabor told journalists that the cultist was arrested on February 22, 2014 at Rondo area in Offa where five boys of the same school, gang-raped the victim, name withheld.
“Two suspects were arrested; the lady and a male student of the school. They confessed to the crime while efforts are still on to arrest the fleeing suspects”, he said.
The female suspect, Awotola Mary stunned journalists when she advanced reasons why she lured her friend to be gang-raped by five of her cult members who are also students of the School of Health Technology, Offa.
Mary told journalists at the police headquarters in Ilorin that she was also gang raped much earlier by four boys before she was later initiated into the cult group.
She said she lured her friend to be raped by her cultist friends because she declined joining them in spite of all efforts and pressures mounted on her.

The female cultist also said that she regretted her action having been arrested by the police and more importantly that she was not gaining anything from the cult activities.
“I did not gain anything from cultism. I regret all my actions”, she said soberly.
The police have in the last four weeks paraded six students of the institution over alleged rape offences. The police also claimed that three other offenders, also students of the college are now at large.
The first three students of the college that were arrested and subsequently prosecuted by the police for allegedly gang-rapping a female colleague are Olorunshola Temidayo, 22, a resident of Lamodi area, Offa, Ikuologun Ayodele (at large), Popoola Tolulope (at large) and Tunde a.k.a of London (at large) According to the police, the case was transferred from the divisional police headquarters, Offa, to the department of investigation, Ilorin.

The police First Information Report (FIR) which detailed the charges against the accused during their arraignment before an Ilorin Magistrate’s Court, on February 14, 2014, stated that around 6:00pm, Temidayo (1st accused) took the victim of the same institution to the birthday party of one Akededolu Femi in his residence at Lamodi area, Offa, where he drugged her by mixing palm wine with ‘Ponche’ hot drink.

The first accused, after discovering that his female colleague was heavily intoxicated took her to his room and had carnal knowledge of her twice without her consent before calling on the other three accused, (all at large) who also had carnal knowledge of her without her consent.

Later, the victim was said to have shouted for help as she fell unconscious, which attracted the intervention of Adekunle Jimoh, the landlord, who rescued her and took her to the General Hospital, Offa before she was referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital.

The charge sheet added that the accused used the privilege of being the ‘Man O War’ instructor to the victim to lure her to the place where she was allegedly raped.

Barely two weeks after the arraignment of the above suspects, another set of students of the same school were apprehended for similar crime. Those arrested and paraded on Thursday, March 6, by the state Police Command were Akinsola Oluwaseun (M) and 18-year old Awotola Mary (female) who was said to have arranged with five students to gang-rape her friend (name withheld).

One of the suspects, Oluwaseun, was arrested while the remaining four are at large, according to the Commissioner of Police, Ambrose Aisabo who paraded the suspects before newsmen.

Also recently, a student of the college, Aluko Opeyemi, 23, was arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrate’s Court for allegedly posting the photograph of a student who was gang raped, on the internet.
Opeyemi allegedly posted the picture of a fellow student, who was allegedly gang raped by her colleagues on the internet while he was instructed to look after her during her treatment.

According to the Police First Information Report (FIR), instead of the accused to take care of the victim, he took her photograph and posted it on the internet. It added that investigation revealed that the accused intentionally took the picture of the victim and posted it on the internet by using ‘2GO’ with the intention of tarnishing the reputation of the victim.

But the Provost of the College, Mallam Sheu Olalekan Ajide denied involvement of any of his students in the incessant rape cases in Offa.

Ajide told LEADERSHIP Weekend “The commissioner of police wrote us a letter which we had since replied that those people could not be traced in our college. We maintain high standard of discipline in our college which we will continue to maintain.

“I wish to stress that those paraded by the commissioner of police are not our students, we have not got any case of rape in our college hostel. Obviously, all these cases of gang raping are not committed within the college but outside the college.

“We maintain high standard of discipline in our college which we will continue to maintain. This gang raping by the people paraded by the commissioner of police – these boys and girls are not our students as claimed by them. In our college, any student caught with any act of indiscipline is normally expelled”.

But, independent investigation by LEADERSHIP Weekend showed that there were cases of gang raping of female students of the institution by their male colleagues said to be members of cult groups.

Some female students who volunteered information on the development but who do not want their names in the print for security reasons, confirmed that there were incidences of gang raping of their colleagues.

However, they claimed that the rape cases were perpetrated in the female hostels outside the college campus.

It was gathered that most students of the institution live outside the campus and most of them live in secluded areas such as Bintinlaye and Rondo.

The respondents said that most of the rape cases were not reported by the victims and people close to them because the perpetrators of the heinous acts are alleged cult members.

A male student also confided in LEADERSHIP Weekend that “the secluded areas where the students live and indecent dressings of most female students aided the rape cases.

When contacted, the state’s commissioner for Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Alh. Aliyu Wahab Opakunle, said he paid an inspection visit to the college on March 4, 2014.

He said, “The provost of the college explained to me that the culprits are not his students. That the incidences did not happen in the school campus,” he stated.

The commissioner however said he had instructed the provost to map out strategies that would ensure that such incident do not happen in the school.

And as a preventive measure, he hinted that the state government will make more hostel facilities available to the school, so that more students would live in the campus.

“There will be increased hostel accommodation to ensure proper monitoring of students. The students should always move in groups and alert the school authority of any suspicious movement in and around the campus,” Opakunle stated.

Source

Thursday 13 March 2014

Court Sentences 3 To Death In Ekiti For Robbery, Murder ,Rape

An Ado-Ekiti High Court on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti sentenced three accused persons to death by hanging for robbery, murder and rape.
The judge, Justice Olusegun Ogunyemi, gave the verdict at the conclusion of trial.
The convicts are Kolade Fowosere, a medical student; Blessing Owhorisi, also a student and Ojo Ogundare, a vulcanizer operating in Ado-Ekiti.
Delivering his judgment, Ogunyemi said the evidence before the court was direct and unequivocal.
He said that the accused were convicted based on the confessional statements they made during investigation.
Ogunyemi said he found them guilty as charged, saying “the three accused persons should be hanged till life is out of them.”

The prosecuting State Counsel, Mr Gbenga Daramola, said the accused committed the offence on July 4, 2011 at Omisanjana quarters in Ado-Ekiti.

According to him, the offence contravens Section 319, 1 (2) (a) of the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provision) Act, cap RII, Vol. 14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2014.

Daramola called seven witnesses to prove his case, and the defence counsel, Mr Chris Omokhafe, called four witnesses.

The state counsel urged the court to resolve the case in favour of the State, based on the confessional statements made by the convicts in the course of investigation.

He said the accused were said to have robbed at Ido-Ekiti, Omisanjana and Moferere in Ado-Ekiti.
He told the court that they also killed a police officer, Olusegun Olufowobi, popularly called “of London”, during their operation at Moferere on July 20, 2011.

He said that the accused also raped a lady in the course of their operation.

The defence counsel, however, urged the court to resolve all doubts in the prosecution witnesses in favour of his clients.

He said the evidences given by the prosecution were mere hearsay, and that his clients should be discharged and acquitted. (NAN)

Tuesday 11 March 2014

Why Rape Cases Are Increasing – Police

Mrs Sybil Akinfenwa, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of  Sango, Ibadan, on Tuesday said  rape cases had been on the increase because victims’ families fail  to report the incidents to law enforcement agents.

Akinfenwa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the Force was   ready to deal with any case of rape reported.

“It is so sad that cases of rape and child defilement have continued to be on the increase because relations of victims do not report such incidents to the police,’’ she said.

Akinfenwa  said that in some instances when such cases were reported to the police, relations of victims would not want the law enforcement agents to continue with the trial of  suspects.

“The relations of rape victims will come to the police and say they are discontinuing with the case because they are feeling shy or afraid of public ridicule,’’ she said.

Akinfenwa said the police authorities were ready to apply the relevant laws of the land in dealing with rape suspects and urged members of the public to report any culprit.

She  also called on parents to deploy  moral measures to address the problems of  rape and child defilement.

Akinfenwa further  urged parents not to send female children to the streets to hawk, saying  that this could expose them to  danger.  (NAN)

Friday 7 March 2014

Police In Borno Alert Residents On Increasing Rape Of Minors

The Police in Borno on Friday alerted residents on the increasing rate of rape and other sexual abuses of minors in the State.

This is contained in a statement issued by the spokesman for the command, DSP Gideon Jubrin in Maiduguri.

“The command wishes to bring to the attention of the general public the activities of some individuals who engage in luring or seducing minors.

“This command has received reports of criminal activities of some people, who lure minors into homosexuality, rape and other related offences’’, it said.

It said that five persons had been arrested and that all cases would be charged to court at the end of ongoing investigations.

It called on parents and guardians to keep an eagle eye on the activities of their children and wards.
The statement appealed to citizens to report any suspicious activities in their neighbourhood for immediate action by the security agencies. (NAN)

Thursday 6 March 2014

A Lokoja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday ordered the remand of four youths at the Federal Prisons, Ankpa, Kogi for allegedly gang-raping a female secondary school student (names withheld).
The accused persons, Bala Musa, Uchenna Chiaghanam, Faruk Umar and Suleiman Abdullahi, were charged with criminal conspiracy, criminal force, theft and rape.
The accused were said to have raped, recorded and posted the pictures of the act on the internet.
The police prosecutor, Mr C.S. Ayabotu, said the offence which was committed on Feb. 10, was reported by the victim at the Divisional Police Headquarters, Ankpa on Feb. 14.
Ayabotu said the girl was returning from errand for her mother when Musa, Chiaghanam and Umar criminally conspired, accosted and dragged her into a nearby bush.
He told the court that the accused persons whose ages ranged from 18 to 21, seized her Nokia 200 Asha cell phone, beat and slapped her with a ring suspected to be diabolically charmed after which she fell and became unconscious.
The prosecutor said the accused jointly and forcefully had sex with her one after the other and recorded the sex scenes.
Ayabotu said they posted the video on the internet with the assistance of the fourth accused, Abdullahi.
He said that investigation into the case was ongoing and applied for adjournment to enable the police to complete the investigation.
According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene sections 97, 265, 287 and 282 of the Penal Code.
In his ruling, Alhassan Hussaini ordered that the accused be remanded in prison at Ankpa as the offences do not ordinarily attract bail and to enable the police to complete investigations.
Hussaini, however, transferred the case to Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ankpa and adjourned the case to March 14 for further mention.

Leadership.

Community Banishes 25-Year-Old Man For Raping Mother Of 6

The Osogun community of Iseyin Local Government Area Oyo State has banished a middle-aged man, Rasheed Opadijo, for allegedly raping a housewife and mother of six.
The community head, Mr Samuel Ogunbayo, who announced the decision of the community, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Osogun that the incident occurred on Feb. 25.
He said that the decision to ban Opadijo was reached after consultations with elders of the community.
According to him, Opadijo had engaged in similar acts for some time, adding that the latest incident was his fourth in the last two years.
“We are able to apprehend him because the villagers already had eyes on him. He jumped into the victim’s house through the window.
“He was aware that the husband had gone to farm and the wife, a mother six, was sleeping after her normal morning routine.
“He never knew that people were watching him when he jumped through the window and forced himself on the woman.
“He was caught red-handed forcing the innocent woman, when public-spirited people rushed to the scene and sent for the husband.
“If not for my intervention and that of elders, he would have been lynched to death.
“As it is now, we have banished him and his family from this community for 25 years,’’ he said.
Ogunbayo said that the matter was not reported to the police, adding that the nearest police station is about 20 kilometres away.
He said that the community banished Opadijo to serve as deterrent to others who might want to take advantage of helpless women and girls, and to enforce discipline in the community.
Speaking with NAN, Opadijo, who confessed to the crime, attributed his attitude to the influence of the devil.
He claimed that he did not know what came over him each time he engaged in the act.
Osogun, located about 20 kilometres from Iseyin, is the home town of Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the first man to translate the Holy Bible from English Language to Yoruba in 1843. (NAN)

Alleged rape: Police release Obesere

The State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, Lagos State has released popular musician, Obesere, who was accused of raping a 29-year-old student of the Polytechnic Ibadan.
Obesere, whose real name is Abass Akande, was invited for interrogation at the Department 14 of the SCID.
Obesere, popularly called Papa Tosibe, was alleged to have raped the victim at his Okota home.
Policemen at the SCID told our correspondent that the musician was invited to the SCID on Wednesday and released immediately.
A police source said, “We invited him based on the petition we received and he has written a statement. He said the woman was his girlfriend and she had come to visit him at home.
“Obesere is not a flight risk, so we have released him on bail. However, investigations will continue and if he is found culpable, he will be arrested.
“The woman in question came to Obesere’s house willingly and was not abducted. There are no eyewitnesses apart from Obesere and the victim, so we cannot conclude that it was rape, but we will leave no stone unturned.”
Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, confirmed Obesere’s arrest to our correspondent on the telephone.
He said, “The victim, one Olanike Olaiya, said she was raped by Obesere and reported the matter at the Isolo Police Division.
“Obesere was invited for questioning, but he did not show up. The woman obtained a medical report indicating that she had been raped.
“Then the police obtained an arrest warrant and he was arrested and transferred to the SCID for further investigation.
“I don’t have much information on how far investigations have gone, but I will let you know once I have the information.”

I raped my daughter to get a job –Father

A 42-year-old father, Pedro Anegbe, has told an Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court that a spirit asked him to rape his 15-year-old daughter to get a job.

He said the voice ordred him to rape the girl shortly after he lost his job and was idle at home.

Anegbe was arraigned on two counts for defiling his 15-year-old daughter (name withheld) at their home on Ifelodun Street, Fatolu Ipaja, Lagos State.

The Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant Bakare Murtala, told the court his findings in the course of investigation.

Murtala said, “The defendant is the biological father of the girl. She told us her father had sexually harassed her. We questioned him on his daughter’s allegation and he confessed to the crime. He said he had raped her twice.”

The magistrate, Olanrewaju Olatunji, asked Anegbe why he raped his own daughter.

The father of three said, “I am actually living with my wife and three children. I have two girls and a boy. She is my first born. I have had sex with her just two times. The first was on January 27, 2014. But I cannot remember the date of the second one.”

On how it all began, he said, “I did it because I thought it was God talking to me, but later I knew it was an evil spirit. The voice said I needed power. To get the power, the voice said I must damage some things.

“I started destroying the clutch and brake of the vehicle I was given to drive. Then the voice told me I should stop delivering money to the owner of the vehicle after each day’s work. I stopped and I was sacked.

“I became idle after I lost my job. The voice came again, saying I should have sex with my daughter or else I would not get another job. That was why I slept with her.”

However, despite his admission, the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape.

He also told the court that he wanted his case tried at the High Court.

Olatunji said, “You have confessed that you raped your daughter, why then did you still say you were not guilty of the crime after the charge was read to you? Don’t you understand the charge or what is the problem?”

“I am just forcing myself to talk, because the voice said I should not say anything,” Anegbe said.
His defence counsel, Rasaq Adeyemi, citing Section 115 of the Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011, prayed the court to admit him to bail in liberal terms since he was still presumed innocent until proven guilty by the court.

In his ruling, the magistrate said, “This is a bailable offence, but it is a family matter. The defendant is to be remanded in prison pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.”
The matter was adjourned till April 4, 2014.

Obesere rape saga: Case transferred to SCID

LAGOS — There were indications, yesterday, that the case involving popular Fuji musician, Alhaji Abass Akande, also known as Obesere, arrested for allegedly raping a 29-year-old business woman, Miss Olanike Olaiya, in his Okota residence may have been  transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID.

Sources told Vanguard, yesterday, that the embattled musician preferred the SCID to the  Isolo Police division because the DPO had insisted on the matter going to court.

Normally, it is  the Divisional Police Officer at Isolo Division, Aminu Ibrahim, that should have ordered the transfer of the case to SCID for further investigations.

But Obesere was alleged to have used his contacts in the police to have the case transferred to SCID.
*Obesere

*Obesere

A police source also disclosed that Obesere found it difficult to pressurize the DPO at Isolo into striking out the matter or persuade the victim to accept a settlement.

The source, who craved anonymity, also said Obesere contacted some top citizens to wade into the matter by persuading the DPO to soft-pedal on the  matter but they backed down when they discovered that the police have incriminating evidence against the musician.

Victim relocates to Sagamu for treatment

Meantime, the victim, Olaiya, told Vanguard yesterday that she had relocated to her home town, Sagamu in Ogun State, where she is currently receiving treatment for the rape incident.

Olaiya, who spoke with Vanguard on the telephone, said: “As I speak with you, I am in Sagamu, my home town, where I have been  receiving traditional treatment since the incident occurred.

I bled for more than two weeks —Victim

“I bled for more than two weeks after Alhaji Obesere raped me and inserted his ring into my private part. The incident occurred on February 12, 2013 and I have spent a lot of money treating myself.

“The DPO, Isolo Police division, took pity on me and refused to give in to Obesere’s pressure to  strike out the case and God will bless him for that.

“But last week I was informed that the case had been transferred to the SCID and my Investigating Police Office, IPO, at Isolo asked me to come to the station on Tuesday for the transfer.

“But when I got to the SCID, I discovered the IPO, who took over the case, one Mr. Jacob, I don’t know his rank, became hostile to me.

“You need to see how this man treated me. He started by asking me to write a new statement and when I tried to explain that I had written a statement at Isolo division, he rebuffed my explanation and insisted I wrote a new one.

They threatened to kill me

“Afterwards, they started threatening me. The IPO, Alhaji Obesere, and some of his brothers, who were present there, asked me to stop the journalists from publishing my story and if I don’t, I will be a dead person.

“I was so frightened when they said this and each time my phone rang someone would pick it up to know who was calling.

“Later, they discovered  I wasn’t going to break, then they started begging me and promised to take care of me. Alhaji Obesere even said he was going to take me to the best hospital for treatment.

“At the end, I rose to leave and they offered to drop me in my place. The IPO also insisted that I should follow them. Instead of taking me to my area, they took me to Obesere’s house and the woman who introduced me to him was also there.

“While I was with them I alerted the police at Isolo and told them where I was.

“But yesterday, they called after they saw the publication and started threatening again to kill me.

“I am highly terrified, that was why I travelled back  to my home to get some treatment.”

Source

Wednesday 5 March 2014

Ondo commissioner advocates special court for rape cases

Mrs Yemi Mahmud-Fasanmi, the Ondo State Commissioner for Woman Affairs and Social Development, on Wednesday called on government to establish a special court to try cases of rape and violence against women.

Mahmud-Fasanmi made the call in Akure while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria.
She said: “I condemn in totality violence against women. I advise government to do something to reduce the incidence to the barest minimum.

“In fact, I personally advocate for a special court for such cases so that the perpetrators of rape and violence can be prosecuted.

“In Ondo State for instance, we have a family court that settles family issues; the same thing should be done for children and women when abused so that the culprits are brought to book.”

Yemi said one of the MDG goals was the protection of the rights of women and the girl child, adding that there was need for the rights to be enforced.

According to her, it is disheartening for a 72-year-old man to rape a minor and be allowed to escape justice.

“I want to appeal to parents to report violence against women and rape cases to the appropriate bodies as well as to take such victims to hospitals for tests to be conducted,’’ she said.

He said the outcome of the tests would be used as strong evidence in court.

“If test is conducted within limited time, one of the major things is settled; but what we hear is that parents keep such victims away from doctors,’’ she said.

The commissioner also said the ministry had been working with the police and other security agencies to reduce the menace in the state.

“As soon as we have such report, we write and get the police and other concerned law enforcement agencies to handle the cases,’’ she added.
 

Tuesday 4 March 2014

Police parade 59 for robbery, rape, others in Edo, Ibadan

BENIN — THE Police in Edo State, yesterday, paraded 50 suspects arrested in connection with robbery, cultism, rape, illegal possession of firearms and defilement.

Also in Ibadan, nine  robbery suspects were paraded yesterday by the Oyo State Police Command.

This came as the police said they had commenced full investigation into the robbery attack on a church, Vine Branch Church, where two policemen were shot dead, Sunday.

Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Foluso Adebanjo, who paraded the suspects in Benin also disclosed the arrest of 10 suspects in connection with cult related killings in the state.

While decrying the media sensational reports of cult killings in the state, he insisted that contrary to the high figure of deaths published by a section of the media, only three deaths were known to the police.

The police boss expressed worry over rising incidences of child molestation and rape, calling for concerted action against the trend.

He said: “We must all take action against rising cases of child molestation particularly in Edo State. This trend must stop. Rape of the girl-child is becoming alarming, we must do something about it.”



 9 paraded for robbery

While  parading another set of robbery suspects at the state police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, said some of the suspects included those that attacked a member of the state House of Assembly last month.

He gave the names of the suspects as Tolulope Ojebode, Ismail Oluwasegun, Amodu Garba  and Oluwaseyi  Oyeniran.

Items found with another suspect, Ibitoye Modesola, included  two AK-47 rifles containing 15 rounds of live ammunition, one Nokia  handset  and a bag containing a blue mask  and a knife.

Others  suspects paraded include Olatubosun  Ojotunde and  Wasiu Folarin alleged to have hijacked a trailer load of soya meal. The truck was marked KRD 949 XB.

Samuel Caleb  and Segun Famawode were arrested after alleged robbery operation at Idi Ori Sasa.

Source
BENIN — THE Police in Edo State, yesterday, paraded 50 suspects arrested in connection with robbery, cultism, rape, illegal possession of firearms and defilement.
Also in Ibadan, nine  robbery suspects were paraded yesterday by the Oyo State Police Command.
This came as the police said they had commenced full investigation into the robbery attack on a church, Vine Branch Church, where two policemen were shot dead, Sunday.
Edo Commissioner of Police, CP Foluso Adebanjo, who paraded the suspects in Benin also disclosed the arrest of 10 suspects in connection with cult related killings in the state.
While decrying the media sensational reports of cult killings in the state, he insisted that contrary to the high figure of deaths published by a section of the media, only three deaths were known to the police.
The police boss expressed worry over rising incidences of child molestation and rape, calling for concerted action against the trend.
He said: “We must all take action against rising cases of child molestation particularly in Edo State. This trend must stop. Rape of the girl-child is becoming alarming, we must do something about it.”

 9 paraded for robbery
While  parading another set of robbery suspects at the state police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Indabawa, said some of the suspects included those that attacked a member of the state House of Assembly last month.
He gave the names of the suspects as Tolulope Ojebode, Ismail Oluwasegun, Amodu Garba  and Oluwaseyi  Oyeniran.
Items found with another suspect, Ibitoye Modesola, included  two AK-47 rifles containing 15 rounds of live ammunition, one Nokia  handset  and a bag containing a blue mask  and a knife.
Others  suspects paraded include Olatubosun  Ojotunde and  Wasiu Folarin alleged to have hijacked a trailer load of soya meal. The truck was marked KRD 949 XB.
Samuel Caleb  and Segun Famawode were arrested after alleged robbery operation at Idi Ori Sasa.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/03/police-parade-59-robbery-rape-others-edo-ibadan/#sthash.3jYHZRki.dpuf

Monday 3 March 2014

Woman Raped To Death In Benin

Panic gripped residents of Upper Adesuwa in Benin City, the Edo State capital, following the discovery of the corpse of a middle-aged woman said to have been raped to death, at the weekend.
The woman identified as Miss Deborah Bassey was said have been on her way to attend a night vigil at a Pentecostal Church before she met her untimely death in the hands of the rapists.

A large crowd of passers-by and sympathisers gathered to catch a glimpse of the lifeless body of the late Miss Bassey, which was found naked by a welder’s workshop.

A member of the Church who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told LEADERSHIP that, “somebody ran to the church early in the morning to inform us that our member’s body is lying dead by a welder’s workshop and we immediately rushed to scene only to discover that it was our member (Deborah).

“This is the most mindless act by a fellow human being, how could they have raped her and even killed her at the same time?  We pray that God will accept her soul and avenge her death.”
At the time of filing in this report, the deceased’s body had been removed by men of the state police command to an undisclosed mortuary.

LeadershipNGA

Sunday 2 March 2014

Rape: Why Parents Should Be Blamed

In Katsina State, the upsurge in incidences of rape is alarming with recent statistics indicating that there were no fewer than 83 cases pending at different courts in the state. MUAZU ELAZEH writes on this disturbing social problem.
Ibrahim Dantsoho, Katsina’s commissioner of Justice raised the alarm recently while decrying the high level of rape in the state, stating that was what informed the state government’s decision to amend the law which provides for stiffer penalty to persons found guilty of committing rape and insisted that some concrete measures needed to be taken against the menace.
He said the amended law provides for stiffer penalties to a convict and insisted that the measure was aimed at discouraging people from committing the offence.
He said the amendment provides for minimum of fourteen years or life imprisonment with fine of fifty thousand naira (N50, 000) and compensation to the victim by anyone found guilty of committing the offence.
He however, said it was sad that parents, guardians or husbands of rape victims often prevent them from approaching the court to seek legal redress insisting that such action fuels the impunity.
“Some of these criminals after committing the crime, go to the extent of killing the victims. Government cannot allow this to continue,” Dantsoho said even as he appealed for collective efforts to “at least reduce incidence of rape to the barest minimum”.
An understandably worried Dantsoho had told a gathering at a one-day workshop on “Prison Decongestion: A Panacea For A Smooth Justice Delivery System” organised by Katsina State branch of the Nigerian Bar Association that most of the criminal cases in Katsina State border on rape.
Dantsoho said over 80 per cent of awaiting trial inmates being held in prisons across the state are held for rape, homicide and armed robbery and faulted parents in the state for abdicating their responsibilities.
He said “Parents and guardians have left their children at the mercy of the evil of society that is why we have Kauraye here and there,” insisting that parental negligence is the root cause of crimes in the state.
He said “The society has abandoned its critical role that is why there is high crime rate so we must begin by looking at the root cause of prison congestion,” adding that “the society has to wake up and discharge its responsibilities.”
Dantsoho who lamented that often times, parents of rape victims approach the state to say the rape case should be withdrawn, noted that there was the need “for enlightenment to support in minimising the rampant cases of rape.”
It is widely believed that the number of reported cases is only the tip of the iceberg as many of such incidences are never reported because parents will want to save the honour of their daughters and protect their families from embarrassment.
In little Aisha’s case (not real name), she was defiled by her parents’ neighbour in their rented apartment at Rahamawa quarters of Katsina municipal.
Sources said the rapist, who is old enough to be his victim’s grandfather, sent the little girl on an errand only to take advantage of her innocence and defile her. Quite worrisome however, was the fact that her parents reportedly buried the matter and did not report to the police for reasons best known to them.
Indeed, both the Police and government officials in the state have reported an upsurge in incidents of child rape insisting that concrete measures had to be taken to nip the menace in the bud or better still, reduce it to the barest minimum.
In one incident at Sabuwar Unguwa area of Katsina municipal, a 20-year-old man allegedly raped a four year old girl after luring the little girl to his room where he defiled her.
Child rape is becoming rampant in the state and people are worried that if nothing is done to stop the problem it will go out of hand.
In the last couple of months, police in Katsina recorded 15 cases of child rape and made 16 related arrests. The suspects are usually males between the ages of 20 and 70 while their victims are mostly girls of between three and 11 years.
Experts comment on reasons for the phenomenon:
Sheikh Yakubu Musa, Katsina state chairman of JIBWIS attributes the menace to poor parental training, insisting that some parents have abdicated their responsibilities. “Government at all levels and religious leaders must sustain preaching on the need for parents to ensure proper upbringing of their children.” He said.
“Another contributing factor to this act is the mode of dressing of some girls” the cleric enthused, insisting that “unless stringent measures are taken to guard against indecent dressing, the phenomenon will increase, not decrease.”
The cleric stressed that addressing the menace in Katsina state will require strict adherence to Islamic law (Sharia) and noted that the Shariah court judges should be effectively screened and be well-trained too.
Aaron Jacob, a Development worker, said, “The most vulnerable victims of this inhuman act are girls that hawk items on the streets and sometimes, little girls in the neighbourhood” adding, “These girls are lured by rapists who give them money or pretend they want to send them on an errand.”
Parents who spoke to LEADERSHIP SUNDAY said they have resolved to ensure that their daughters are closely monitored and not allowed to go out alone. “The situation has become so bad that you have to monitor every movement of your daughters,” a housewife, Safiya Muhammad said.
“As a policy, I warn my children not to get close to a stranger and to run home if someone they don’t know calls them,” she said.
Obviously disturbed by the incidence, the Katsina State amended section 283 of penal code that provides penalty for persons guilty of committing rape. Indeed, the amendment provides for stiffer penalty including a minimum jail term of 14 years and payment of compensation to the victim, for anyone convicted of the crime.
Regrettably, as the state commissioner of Justice, Dantosho lamented, some parents, guardians or husbands of rape victims often prevent them from approaching the court to seek legal redress due to stigma.
Experts believe that the seeming unwillingness by parents or guardians of rape victims to press charges because of perceived social stigma, fuels the impunity.
But there are widespread views that with the recent amendment, and the planned mass awareness on the need for parents to press for charges, securing prosecution may well not be difficult and should that happen, the phenomenon would be drastically reduced.

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