The Government of the United States of America (USA) has intervened in a case of a 17-year old female student who was a victim of gang-raping by six male students of the University of Lagos, early this year, insisting that justice must be done.
The victim of the gang-raping was identified to have dual citizenship of both Nigeria and the USA. A reliable source revealed to National Daily that the US Government, through the Embassy in Nigeria, insists that the Unilag authorities must ensure that justice is done and seen to be done, cautioning against any plot to sweep the case under the carpet.
National Daily investigation revealed that the rape victim was being monitored by the syndicate who reside at a High-Rising on campus. Investigation disclosed that they used the telephone of her friend, who is a girlfriend to one of the rapists, to send text message to the victim, inviting her to come and meet them at the High-Riser.
The unsuspecting victim honoured the invitation without modicum idea of the evil plot of her invitees who used her friend’s telephone to send her the message. On arrival, the rapists forced her into sex without her consent which they recorded.
They were said to use the recorded sex video to threaten the victim each time they invited her subsequently, threatening to expose the video on Youtube and other social media platforms if she dare to reveal the encounter.
The rape victim, however, became uncomfortable with the sexual abuse by the six students, then, revealed the encounter to a close friend, who she has confidence in. The friend, thereafter, disclosed the abuse to the university authorities, which deployed the school security to apprehend the suspects.
The rape victim, guided by the school security, was advised to accept further invitation from the suspects but should request them to pick her at a particular spot.
The security officials were in back up positions when four of the suspects came to the agreed spot to pick the rape victim for another sexual abuse. Four of the rapists had arrived the scene when they were immediately arrested by the university security personnel. However, while the rape victim was walking on the campus with her friend, she sighted one of the suspects, raised alarm, and he was subsequently arrested by people around the vicinity and handed over to the school security. The sixth rapist is currently at large and the Police is on his hunt.
A Police source, speaking to National Daily this Tuesday, maintained that the men of the Nigeria Police are on top of the case, assuring that they are doing what they should do on the matter.
The gang-raping occurred in January 2017 but the suspects were arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court. Surulere, Lagos, on March 15, 2017.
The accused rapists were identified as Simeon Omowol 18; Randy Chukka 17; Samuel Oyefara 18; Peter Adeboyega 17; Chuka Chukwu 19; and the female conspirator, Peace Nwakanma 18. The sixth rapist is on the run.
They are being prosecuted on a five-count charge relating to conspiracy, rape and sexual harassment, to which they all pleaded not guilty.
The US intervention became expedient when one of the rapists was identified to be a son of a lecturer in the university. The parent was discovered to have been doing everything possible to suppress the case.
Meanwhile, the six students of Unilag being prosecuted for the gang-raping of the 17-year-old female student have been granted bail by the Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court where they are being tried. They were said to be released on bail at N6 million.
Sergeant Anthonia Osayande, the Prosecutor, told the court that accused persons committed the offences in January 2017 at High-Rise, acknowledging that one of the accused is still at large.
Osayande remarked that Nwakanma, the only female among the accused persons, was the one that lured the girl to where she was raped.
“The six students sexually harassed the girl with video clips in order to intimidate her.
“They all had sexual intercourse with the 17-year-old without her consent,’’ she was cited to have told the court.
The offences were said to contravene Sections 137, 140, 260 (2), 264 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 (revised).
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. A. Ipaye-Nwachukwu, had granted the accused persons bail in the sum of N500, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Ipaye had said one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused, while the second surety should be a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 14.
She had directed the sureties to provide an evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The Chief Magistrate adjourned the case to May 18 pending advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions.
National Daily gathered that the case has been reported to Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs, which has shown interest in the prosecution of the sexual abuse.
Moreover, the Nigerian Senate has also insisted that the matter must be prosecuted to its logical conclusion, admonishing that the National Assembly would not accept any subversion of justice.