By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

The Anambra State Police Command on Thursday arraigned a 36-year-old mechanic, Chukwudi Okafor at the state’s Children Sexual and Gender based Violence Offences Unite (CSGBVU) in Awka for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old JSS 3 girl.

Okafor who was arraigned on one-count charge of defilement brought against pleaded not guilty.

Giving insight on the case, the prosecutor, Insp Chinyere Okechukwu, told the court that the defendant who is a native of Mmiata Anam in Anambra West Local Government Area of the state, committed the offence sometime in April 2025 at Aguleri community in Anambra East LGA.

She said: “The defendant took the 14-year-old girl to a hotel in Aguleri where he sexually assaulted the her, in the process she had a fracture on her left leg which made her cry and attracted the attention of the hotel management.

“The hotel management alerted the community vigilance group, who initially took the accused into custody, but he later escaped.

“However, on April 27, 2026, the girl’s mother spotted him within the community and alerted the police, leading to his arrest.”

While noting that the offence is punishable under Section 3(2) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition and Protection Law of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2017, Okechukwu prayed the court to remand the suspect at a Correctional facility as stipulated under Section 130(2) (a) (b) of the Administration Criminal Justice Law 2022.

Meanwhile, the accused in his defence, told the court that the girl was his girlfriend, who visits him and had claimed to be 19 years old and in JSS-3.

However, the Chief Magistrate, Mrs U.E. Onochie, who adjourned the case to June 10, 2026 for hearing, ordered that the accused be remanded at the Awka correctional facility.