Lagos govt re-arraigns five varsity students for alleged gang-r*pe

The Lagos State Government on Monday re-arraigned four undergraduate students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and a student of Babcock University for allegedly gang-r*ping a 17-year-old student of UNILAG.

The students were re-arraigned before a S*xual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja.

The defendants are – Moboluwaji Omowole (19), Chuka Chukwu (19), Peace Nwakanma (19), James Aguedu (20) and Josephine Osemeka (20).

They were first arraigned on February 26, 2019, by the State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and plead not guilty to a three-count charge of child defilement and permitting defilement of a child in premises.

The students were re-arraigned on June 27, 2019, on a fresh five-count charge of defilement of a child, permitting defilement of a child, procuration and s*xual assault.

On Monday, they were re-arraigned on an amended six-count charge of defilement of a child, permitting defilement of a child, procuration and s*xual assault.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Following their re-arraignment, the victim of the gang-r*pe was cross-examined by the counsel to Osemaka, Mr. Ben Edechime.

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During the cross-examination, the victim told the court that she had never met Osemeka prior to the day she was allegedly gang-r*ped by the defendants at High-Rise, a staff quarters at UNILAG.

The victim, however, said she was aware that High-Rise was a public place.

She said: “I saw her (Osemeka) when I first entered into the room with Yinka and also after everyone involved had their turn and come back inside.

“She was outside with the other rapists, and when everyone came inside, she was there when they were molesting me. I was gang-r*ped by about six to eight people.”

The victim said after the alleged gang-r*pe, she felt used, was scared, confused and did not know what to do.

“There was no one else in the area where I was abused. My clothes were not torn while I was being r*ped because I was being held down and I did not struggle enough for them to tear my clothes.

“I did not know what to do after it had happened and I did not report the incident because they had threatened me with a video.

“The r*pe occurred only in two different rooms at High-Rise and at Chuka’s (second defendant’s) house. An attempt was also made at a place I know as waterfront.

“I put up a struggle during the first incident but on other subsequent times, I did not put up a struggle because of the video,” she added.

Edechime, however, disputed claims that the complainant was gang-r*ped.

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