MinSenior Magistrate Court presided over by Justice Fati Abdul Auna has ordered that the Vice Principal of Day Secondary School, Tunga Minna in Niger State, accused of impregnating a minor be remanded in prison custody while investigation into the case continues.
The Vice Principal, Mohammed Mohammed Kuyizhi, who has records for committing similar offence is standing trial for allegedly having carnal knowledge and impregnating a 16-year-old minor, an allegation he denied.
Kuyizhi, who is said to have been deployed to another school for fear that students could harm him, is standing trial for unlawfully having carnal knowledge and impregnating a 16-year-old Junior Secondary School 3 (JSS 3) student of the school.
The vice principal had earlier admitted when he was interrogated by the officials of the Niger State Child Rights Agency to having sex with the student and begged to be forgiven because according to him, ‘it is the handiwork of the devil’.
However, the Vice Principal through his Counsel, Mohammed Mustapha, denied committing the act when he appeared before a Senior Magistrate Court 8 sitting in Minna on Wednesday.
Counsel to the accused while submitting oral applications for his bail told the Court that Mohammed has denied committing the offence as contained in the First Information Report (FIR) and that the court has as well taken cognizance of the denial in line with section 143 of Criminal Procedure Code.
“In view of this, we humbly make an oral application for his bail before the Court under the inheritance and rights jurisdiction of the Court”, Mohammed’s Counsel submitted.
The oral application for bail, according to the Counsel, was premised under, section 34, 35 and 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, while urging the court to use its discretions to effect his client’s release.
However, the Police Prosecutor, Corporal Hussaini Paiko, objected to the bail application on the grounds that the accused person if granted bail could tamper with the on-going police investigations of the case.
In her ruling, Senior Magistrate Fati Abdul Auna denied the accused bail, while ordering the Counsel to formally submit the bail application in written form.
She therefore ordered the accused to be remanded in prison custody and adjourned the case to April 26, 2017 for further hearing.