A 24-year-old man, Jacob Ekene, was on Thursday remanded to the Ikoyi Correctional Center for allegedly defiling and impregnating a 14-year-old girl at her aunt’s residence in the Amuwo Odofin, Lagos.

Ekene, who was arraigned on three counts of conspiracy, rape, and inflicting bodily harm, was remanded by Magistrate P. E. Nwaka at a Magistrates’ Court sitting in Yaba, Lagos State.

Ekene was said to have carried out the act with his friend, Olamilekan Saidi.

Our correspondent gathered that the defendant met the victim’s aunt in her office where she helped him with his National Identification Number card and told him to come to her house to collect the card after three days.

On the day Ekene visited the victim’s aunt, he met only the victim at home and when he asked after the aunt, the victim told him she was not back from work.

Ekene was said to have taken advantage of the woman’s absence to allegedly rape the 14-year-old girl and thereafter, threatened to kill her if she told anyone about what happened.

Ever since he perpetrated the crime, Ekene had reportedly been visiting the house and sometimes in the company of one of his friends, Saidi, who was also accused of having carnal knowledge of the minor.

Our correspondent learnt that when the victim’s aunt started noticing some changes in the girl’s body, she questioned her and during the interrogation, the victim accused Ekene of having carnal knowledge of her, and also threatened to kill her with a knife if she told anyone about it.

The aunt, who was angered by the news, informed the police and took her to a nearby hospital where a pregnancy test conducted on the minor revealed that she was already pregnant.

The police, while investigating the case, arrested Ekene, but his accomplice, Saidi, fled after getting wind of the information that policemen were on his trail.

The police, after concluding the investigation, charged Ekene to court for the crime.

During the proceedings, the prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen, said the offences contravened Sections 411,137, and 245 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.

The charge read in part, “That you, Jacob Ekene and one Olamilekan Saidi, who is still at large, on October 17, 2022, around 3.30 pm, in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire amongst yourselves to commit felony to wit defilement and unlawful grievous bodily harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.”

The defendant’s plea was however not taken.

The Magistrate requested to see the teenager but was told that she was sent back to her parents in Imo State because of what happened.

Nwaka ordered the remand of the defendant to the Ikoyi Correctional Center for 30 days pending legal advice from the DPP and adjourned the case till May 25, 2023. (The PUNCH: Text, excluding headline)

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