A 57-year-old man, Aminu Ibrahim, was on Wednesday re-arraigned before a Jos Upper Area Court for allegedly raping an eight-year-old girl.
Ibrahim of Goda Sagai community in the Jos North Local Government Area was charged with criminal intimidation and rape.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused was previously arraigned on May 26 this year.
The Police Prosecutor, Insp. E.A. Inegbenoise, of the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department, had told court that the mother of the victim reported the matter at the Nasarawa Gwong Divisional Police Headquarters on April 26.
Inegbeniose said that the accused lured the girl into his shop with 50 kobo and Viju milk drink and then raped her.
He said that the mother of the child noticed that her daughter was walking with difficulty, which made the victim to tell her mother what had happened.
The prosecutor said that the victim told her mother that the accused said he would kill her if she told anyone.
He said the girl, thereafter, led her parents to the shop of the accused and identified a bench he used during the raping.
Inegbenoise said that during police investigation, the accused confessed to having committed the crime.
NAN reports that the accused, who was previously on remand was granted bail in the sum of N200, 000 with a surety in like sum.
This was after his counsel, Mr. David Adudu, prayed the court to grant his client bail.
Adudu in his prayer, claimed that the accused was hypertensive and needed medical supervision.
He assured that if the bail was granted, his client would neither jump bail nor interfere with police investigation.
But the prosecutor prayed court to deny the bail application as there were qualified medical doctors in prisons, who could take care of inmates with health challenges.
Inegbenoise also argued that owing to the nature of the crime, the offence was not bailable, unless special circumstances.
The Judge, Mr. J.Yahaya, however, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of 200, 000 and a surety in like sum.
Yahaya said that the surety must be a ward head, residing within the jurisdiction of the court.
However, the case which was assigned for continuation of hearing could not hold as judges of the lower courts are currently on strike.
The matter was adjourned to July 21 for continuation of hearing.
count | 115
Recent Comments
Mwanchuel Daniel PamMarch 8, 2024 at 11:06 pm
Bob WayasNovember 6, 2023 at 5:30 am
JosephNovember 5, 2023 at 3:47 am