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Court admits 69 gay wedding suspects to N.5m bail

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2023

Court admits 69 gay wedding suspects to N.5m bail

Sixty-nine gay suspects who were apprehended on Aug. 27 in Ekpan Community, Uvwie Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta during a gay wedding ceremony, have been released on bail.

Counsel for the suspects, Ochuko Ohimor, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Warri that they were admitted to bail with the sum of N500,000 and two sureties each.

According to Ohimor, the sureties must reside within the Effurun jurisdiction of the Court.

He added that the suspects must sign an undertaking at the State High Court of Justice, Effurun, in Uvwie LGA, where they were earlier arraigned on Sept. 4.

“The suspects were granted bail at a cost of N500,000 and two sureties each. The sureties must reside within the Effurun jurisdiction,” Ohimor told NAN.

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Police prosecutor, Vincent Orarumen, had opposed the bail condition but their lawyer argued otherwise, saying that the alleged crime was not a capital offence.

NAN recalls that the suspects were paraded before newsmen on Aug. 29 at the Ekpan Police Station at the instance of the Delta State Commissioner of Police (CP), Wale Abass.

They were arrested by a crack team of police operatives attached to the Ekpan Division while conducting a gay wedding ceremony which they tagged, “all white party.”

The CP, while parading the suspects, vowed to prosecute them in line with Nigeria’s Anti-Gay Law, which, according to him, prohibits same-sex marriage in the country.

“I can guarantee that they will be charged to court. We are not taking it lightly. It is a clear case, though, they are still presumed innocent until proven otherwise by the competent court,” he said.

Court admits 69 gay wedding suspects to N.5m bail

metro

Truck kills mother, two daughters in Oyo

Published

3 mins ago

November 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Truck kills mother, two daughters in Oyo

Three family members have died in a fatal road mishap in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.

The deceased, a middle-aged woman and two of her daughters, were crushed to death by a truck on Wednesday night.

The incident occurred at Apake area of Ogbomosho when the victims were returning from their shop at Takie area around 11 p.m.

They were going back to their residence at Nana River/Atenda area on a commercial motorcycle when the accident occurred.

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It is gathered that remains of the victims — the mother, identified as Kudirat, and her two daughters, Mariam (13 years) and Azeezat (10 years) — have been deposited at morgue.

A local, who spoke in confidence with newsmen, explained that the motorcyclist and the driver of the trailer escaped unhurt.

“The three were crushed brutally. However, the motorcyclist escaped unhurt while the trailer driver also sped off; he was pursued but made his escape.”

All efforts made by DAILY POST to get a reaction from the Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in the state, Rosemary Alo, proved abortive at the time of filing this report on Friday

Truck kills mother, two daughters in Oyo

metro

Lagos state govt demolishes 138 shanties where occupants pay over N60k annually

Published

14 mins ago

November 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Lagos state govt demolishes 138 shanties where occupants pay over N60k annually

The Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) says its officials have demolished 138 shanties illegally erected along Ajao estate canal. The state Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources announced the development in a post on his X page on Friday, November 15.

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“In continuation of concerted measures to reduce the scourge of environmental infractions and illegal encampment in public spaces, the Lagos Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) popularly known as KAI on Thursday demolished 138 shanties around the canal bank in Ajao Estate Canal where illegal occupants pay between N60,000 to N100,000 rent,” Wahab wrote.

Lagos state govt demolishes 138 shanties where occupants pay over N60k annually

metro

Court slams life jail on Abuja man for raping 7-year-old girl

Published

27 mins ago

November 16, 2024

Trends Admin

Court slams life jail on Abuja man for raping 7-year-old girl

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has secured the conviction of one Laminu Ahmed, 36, for the rape of a seven-year-old girl.

Justice Modupe Osho-Adebiyi of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court 14 in a judgment delivered on Thursday sentenced him to life imprisonment.

The Minister’s media aide, Kamarudeen Ogundele, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

The trial judge held that the prosecutor from the Sexual and Gender Based Violence Response unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice headed by Yewande Awopetu successfully proved the case.

The convict had on 3rd January 2023 asked the victim (name withheld) to bring him a plate of food from the food her mother was selling at the Zuba Fruit Market, Abuja and lured her to follow him with the food to a public bathroom in the market.

He locked the door as soon as she entered and proceeded to sexually abuse and rape her by forcefully kissing her, inserting his fore finger into her vagina and then penis and raped her.

He clamped his hands over her mouth when she attempted to scream and threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone. Nevertheless, the little girl was brave enough to tell her mother about the rape on her return. The mother had gone out to attend a friend’s naming ceremony when the incident occurred.

She and the father had immediately reported the matter to the local vigilante who arrested the defendant and handed him over to the Police.

The defendant confessed to the crime at the Police Station in Zuba and at the FCT Command where the matter was later transferred.

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The defendant was charged to court by Prosecution Counsel from the SGBV Response Unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice (representing the AGF), on an eight count charge for the offences of unlawful sexual intercourse with a child and sexual abuse under the Child Rights Act; Rape, Intimidation and Infliction of bodily injury under the Violence against Persons Prohibition Act (VAPP) 2015; and Criminal force under the Penal Code.

However, the defendant upon arraignment in June 2023 pleaded not guilty to all eight counts.

The prosecution opened its case against the defendant, called witness and tendered evidences including the defendant’s confessional statement and confessional video, medical report and report of investigation as well as the statements of the victim and her mother to the police as proof of investigation.

Despite Laminu’s futile attempts to deny making the confessional statement and his claim that he was forced to confess, the prosecution succeeded in proving its case against him and he was convicted and sentenced for the heinous crime he committed against the seven years old survivor.

Awopetu described it as a win for the Justice Sector particularly the SGBV Response Unit in conjunction with the Gender Unit of the FCT Police Command and the FCT Judiciary, in their fight against the scourge of sexual violence in our society.

“It is also a warning to would be perpetrators that the long arm of the law will definitely catch up with them. A key lesson for parents in this case is never to leave their kids untended in a public place.

“Laminu Ahmed’s name will be included in the Sexual Offender’s Register as is required by law,” she said.