A 15-year-old girl, Chiamaka Okehe, has been left with tra¥matic genital inj¥ry after she was repeatedly r+p£d by four men in Imo State.
A journalist, Chidiebube Okeoma, in a post on Facebook, said her priv@te parts are badly d@mag£d and already decaying. According to him, the minor was admitted to Umuguma Specialist General Hospital in Owerri and has been booked for more examinations, laboratory tests and will see surgeons on Monday, August 7.
However, it was reported that an Owerri Magistrate's Court on Thursday, August 3, 2023, the remanded the four suspects, Amarachi Nwodo, 39, David Ajuka, 22, Chima Uwandu, 43, and Osinachi Okoro, 22, to a correctional centre.
The chief magistrate who had earlier declined jurisdiction based on constitutional powers to commence trial on the matter, refused the oral bail applications made by the counsels to the defendants, U. S Nnadozie and G. O Anyalebechi, respectively. The prosecution Counsel, B. C Iwu, who objected the bail applications, said that the victim was s¥ffering from a life thr£at£ning disease because of the defilement and that the defendants do not reside within the jurisdiction of the court.
Iwu asked the chief magistrate to consider the gravity of the crime committed by the defendants and deny them bail. He said that the defendants might abscond If granted bail, thereby obstructing the will of justice. In his ruling, the jurist denied the defendants bail and ordered that they be remanded in Owerri Correctional Centre.
He ordered that the case file be transferred to the state Director of Public Prosecutions for the possible prosecution of the defendants.The chief magistrate had struck out counts five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten before ordering the remand of the defendants in prison custody till August 17, 2023.
The state secretary of The International Federation of Women Lawyers, C. O Iwunna, who announced appearance also opposed the bail applications moved by the counsels to the defendants.
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