Eberechi Obinagwam
The presiding judge of court 26, Rape, Special Offences and Domestic Violence court, S O Nwaka, has refused to grant an adjournment for a case of rape against a man named Ope.
Ope has been standing trial for attempted rape of a seven year old girl, Fumilayo.
He was allegedly caught using his fingers to fumble around her private part area.
Justice Nwaka declined the request of the defence counsel for an extension because it wasn’t made before the proceedings started.
But the defence counsel said his reason for seeking an adjournment was because he was new on the case, and needed time to acquaint himself with the details.
The case against Ope was investigated by Woman Police Officer, Sergeant Chukwuede who told the court that the accused was caught touching the private part of a seven-year-old girl, Fumilayo inside a parked tricycle on May 29, 2016.
According to the police officer, the father of the girl, Adekunle, came to Lion’s building police station to lodge a complaint of sexual assault on his daughter.
She stated that after the complaint, the case was referred to her for investigation.
According to her, the father stated that he sent his daughter, Fumilayo to go and collect change from where he bought pure water.
On her way, because he was in church then, Ope saw her and asked where she was going, and she told him that she was going to collect her father’s change.
The accused then allegedly took her to aTricycle and pulled her pant and started touching her private parts.
But luck ran out of him when a man saw them and flashed a light on them and brought them to the church where Fumilayo’s father was.
She also disclosed to the court that Ope confessed with his mouth that he was using his finger to touch her private parts at the station.
Asked if she has proof, she retorted: “A girl of seven years cannot lie.”
The matter was adjourned to June 18, 2019.
