The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nafisa Musa

  • Man remanded in prison for raping minor

    Man remanded in prison for raping minor

    An 18-year-old man, Isyaku Isyaku, on Wednesday appeared before a Plateau State High Court in Jos over alleged raping of a three year-old neighbour’s daughter.

    The accused person, a resident of Naraguta village, Jos was charged with rape, an offence the prosecutor, Mrs. S. F. Dalyop, said contravened section 282(1), and punishable under section 283, of the Penal Code.

    Isyaku has, however, denied the charge.

    At the hearing of the case on Wednesday, Dalyop told the court that the accused committed the crime on Dec. 13, 2017, at Naraguta village.

    “The accused, in a confessional statement, told the Police that he lured the girl into an uncompleted building and raped her.

    “The accused also told investigators that the little girl was a neighbour’s daughter and was sitting in front of the family house when he lured her into following him into an uncompleted building.

    “He further said that he placed the girl on his lap and had carnal knowledge of her, but ran out of luck when his brother caught him in the act.”

    Dalyop further quoted the accused as saying that he was “just about to ejaculate” when his brother entered the building.

    “The accused confessed that he ran away on sighting his brother but was apprehended by people that heard the brother screaming,” the prosecutor said.

    The prosecutor told the court that a hospital examination had confirmed that the girl was actually defiled.

    Dalyop said that if found guilty, the accused is liable to up to 21 years imprisonment.

    The judge, Justice Nafisa Musa, adjourned the matter to March 2 for hearing and ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.

    NAN

  • Police forced me to make murder confession – Suspect

    Police forced me to make murder confession – Suspect

    A suspect, Stephen Luka, who is standing trial for brutalising his ex-girlfriend and killing her sister, has told a Jos High Court that the police tortured him to obtain his confessional statement.

    Giving evidence in a trial-within-trial on Tuesday in Jos, Luka rebutted the charges and showed the court scars he sustained during the torture to obtain his statement.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Stephen Luka was arraigned before the court in October 2016 charged with murder, attempted murder, assault and sexual abuse.

    The defendant was alleged to have attacked two sisters Simi Dusu and Justina Dusu on July 27, 2016 at his home, in Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Jos, when they went to break the news that Justina was pregnant.

    According to report, Luka was not happy when Justina insisted on keeping the baby, lost his control and used a machete on both sisters, resulting in Simi’s death and Justina losing her left eye.

    The Divisional Crime Officer, Mr. Bolaji Ayenumuro of the “A” Divisional police headquarters on May 6, testified and told the court that the accused person in a statement confessed to the murder without any duress.

    Luka, led in evidence by his counsel, Mr. David Adudu, told the court that the statement was forcefully taken from him on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 2016, respectively.

    “On Aug. 2, 2016 at about 8 p.m. I was in the cell, when one Sgt. Apollos came to take me out and led me into the crime office where I met other policemen.

    “They asked me if I committed the crime and I told them no. They immediately started to beat me but I still told them I did not do it, I was then taken back to my cell.

    “At 7 p.m. the next day they took me back to the crime office and this time around they put a chain on my legs and placed hand cuffs on one hand.

    “They started to torture me again, when I could no longer bear the pain, I told them I committed the crime, my statement was taken and was I forced to sign.”

    During cross examination by the prosecuting counsel, Mrs. Muleng Alex, the defendant said that it took the police three days to extract the statement from him.

    When asked to identify the signature and date written on his statement, Luka said “this is not the statement and I cannot recognise the signature on it.”

    The prosecutor prayed the court to allow the defendant to write a date on a piece of paper to ascertain whether the handwritings were the same.

    However, when he did the two writing turned out to be the same.

    The defense counsel, Mr. David Adudu, thereafter prayed the court to give him 21 days to file a final written address for the defence.

    The judge, Mrs. Nafisa Musa, after listening to his plea, adjourned the matter to July 24 to enable both parties file their final written addresses for the trial within trial.

  • Murder suspect confessed to girlfriend’s brutalization – Police

    A police officer, Mr. Ayenumuro Bolaji, has told a Jos High Court that  Stephen Luka, who is standing trial for brutalising his girlfriend and killing her sister, owned up to the crime without duress.

    Bolaji, the Divisional Crime Officer, ‘A’ Division Police Headquarters, Jos, stood as a witness in a trial within trial, to ascertain if the statement given by the accused was not taken under duress.

    “The statement was voluntary; there was no form of duress,” he told the court.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Luka was arraigned in October 2016, over alleged murder, attempted murder, assault and sexual abuse.

    Luka was alleged to have attacked two sisters – Simi Dose and Justina Dusu – on July 27, 2016 at his home in Sabon Gari, Tudun Wada, Jos, after they went to confront him over Justina (his girlfriend)’s pregnancy.

    The accused had insisted on an abortion and was angry that Justina insisted on keeping the pregnancy.

    He was said to have lost his cool and used a machete on both sisters, killing Simi instantly, while Justina survived but lost her eyes and other parts of her body.

    The crime officer, while giving his testimony, said that the accused was brought to him on Aug. 8, 2016 by one Sgt. Apollos, who was the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in the matter, with a confessional statement said to have been written by Luka.

    “The accused person was brought to me on Aug. 8, by Sgt. Apollos, with a confessional statement said to have been written by Luka, who was alleged to have brutalised his girlfriend and killed her sister over the former’s pregnancy.

    “I asked the IPO to read the statement to the accused and interpret it to him in Hausa before me, so that I will be sure that he understood what was contained in the statement.

    “The accused person confirmed that he understood what was read to him and affirmed that he voluntarily gave the confessional statement stating that he committed the crime.

    “The accused also confirmed to me that he was not given promises, intimidated or tortured, while writing his confessional statement.

    “Luka also told me that it was the feeling of guilt that made him own up to the crime in his statement,” he told the court.

    The officer said that he thereafter took the accused person to the Divisional Police Officer after signing the statement, and the same process was repeated with the accused reaffirming that he gave the statement voluntarily.

    Counsel to the defendant, Mr. David Adudu, prayed the court to adjourn the matter to another date for the defense of trial within trial.

    The judge, Mrs. Nafisa Musa, after listening to his plea, adjourned the matter to June 5.

     

  • Man pleads guilty to raping three minors

    A 52-year-old man, John Udensi, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to raping three minors, aged 10, 11 and 13.

    Udensi, a resident of Angwan-Boarder, Tudun Wada in Jos, is standing trial on a three-count charge of rape, before a Jos High Court.

    The trial judge, Justice Nafisa Musa, after listening to his plea, adjourned the matter to June 19, to enable the prosecution place all facts before the court, in view of the plea of guilt.

    Musa gave the adjournment after the counsel to the accused, Mr. David Adudu, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable the prosecution and defense review facts in view of the accused person’s plea of guilt.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the accused person was first arraigned on Nov. 25, 2015, and was specifically accused of raping three minor girls.

    The prosecutor, C. R. Parlong, of the Plateau Ministry of Justice, had told the court that the accused person committed the crime at his home, on different dates in 2015.

    He alleged that Udensi lured the victims into his room to watch Television and raped them.

    Parlong told the court that the accused had informed the police, in a confessional statement, that he committed the crime on Oct. 9, Nov. 18 and Nov. 20, 2015 at his home in Tudun Wada.

    The prosecutor quoted the accused person as saying that the first and second victims entered his room while he was watching Television and started “touching” him.

    According to the statement, the accused person warned her to stop, but she refused.

    “The girl continued to touch me until we had sex with her while the second victim watched.

    “Not long after, the second girl also entered my room to watch Television but ended up having sex with me,” the accused stated, while admitting that the sex sessions were repeated several times thereafter.

    The prosecutor further quoted the accused as saying that he later lured another girl, aged 13, into his room and had sex with her but was unlucky as a crowd trooped into his house and beat him up before handing him over to the police.

    The prosecutor said that the offense contravened section 283 of the Penal Code, an offense punishable with life imprisonment upon conviction.

     

  • Labourer in court over rape of minor

    A 46-year-old man, Suleman Adamu, appeared in a Jos High Court on Tuesday, charged with allegedly raping an 11-year-old girl.

    Adamu, a specialist in piecing firewood, who resides in Rikkos area of Jos, is standing trial on a one-count charge of rape.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that the accused person had been in prison custody since he was first arraigned on June 14, 2014.

    According to the prosecutor, Mr J.D. Longden of the Plateau Ministry of Justice, Adamu committed the crime on March 7, 2014.

    Longden said that the mother of the victim, Mrs. Margret Ikokoyo, who lives at Anglo-Jos, reported the matter at the ‘A’ Division of Nigeria Police, Jos on March 7, 2014.

    He alleged that the accused person lured the victim into a bush and raped her.

    The prosecutor claimed that the accused had confessed to the police that he raped the minor after enticing her with “sweet talk and promises”.

    Longden said that the offence contravened Section 282 of the Penal Code, adding that offenders were liable to 14 years imprisonment on conviction.

    His claim was corroborated by the investigating officer, Mr A.S. Bilong, from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Counsel to the defendant, Mr M.S. Salihu, however, declared that the said confession was not credible, arguing that his client was tortured by the police to write it.

    Salihu urged the court to evoke Section 29 (3) of the Evidence Act, to conduct a trial within trial, to find out if the statement was obtained voluntarily.

    Justice Nafisa Musa, after listening to the plea, adjourned the matter to May 24 and 25 for trial within trial, and the continuation of hearing.

  • Man in court over rape of three minors

    Man in court over rape of three minors

    A septuagenarian, Francis Nwachukwu, on Friday appeared in a Jos High Court for alleged rape of three minors.

    Nwachukwu, 77, a resident of Angwan Gwada, Tudun Wada, Jos, is standing trial on a one-count charge of rape.

    The Prosecutor, Mrs N. Mbap, a state counsel, told the court that the accused committed the offence on different dates in November 2015 at his home.

    Mbap said that the accused lured the minors by giving them some clothes to take to his room and as soon as they entered the room, he would go after them and force himself on them.

    “Sometimes in November 2016, the accused on different dates gave the minors aged 10, 11, and 12, some of his old clothes to take to his room.

    “He did that in a bid to trap them in his room, when they entered, he would immediately follow them behind and rape them,” the prosecutor said.

    She said that the illicit act was discovered when the minors mentioned the accused as one of those who molested them when they were interrogated by their parents.

    “It was gathered that the minors were also molested by another man who was caught right in the act.

    “During interrogation, the victims mentioned the accused as one of those molesting them.

    “The case was reported to the police and the accused was served a letter inviting him to report to the police station which he did,” she explained.

    The prosecutor added that the offence contravened Section 283 of the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, which on conviction attracts 14 years or maximum of life imprisonment.

    The accused however, pleaded not guilty.

    The judge, Justice Nafisa Musa, admitted the accused to bail considering his age, ill health and his willingness to report to the station and appear before the court.

    The prosecutor who did not object to the bail, urged that the accused sign an undertaking stating that he would be available in court at all times.

    Musa, thereafter, adjourned the matter to May 9 for hearing.