A grandfather, Paul Setonji, and five other
suspects, who gang-raped a 20-year-old hawker, have been sentenced to 10 years
in prison.
The men were said to have tricked the victim into a
primary school at Yansiwhe in the Makoko area of Lagos State and took turns to
illegally have carnal knowledge of her.
She was said to have passed out at a point, but the
men used her hijab (shawl) to fan her before ordering her to leave the
premises.
The police said the suspects, who were all
nationals of Benin Republic, fled the scene after the incident.
But 40-year-old Setonji and Abraham Huvensu, 25,
were arrested and confessed that they slept with the girl in the unnamed
primary school.
At a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, the
police said efforts were on to apprehend the other suspects who were still at
large.
Setonji and Huvensu, after being arraigned on two
counts of rape and conspiracy, pleaded guilty to the charges.
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| The Suspects Grandfather, others rape hawker, jailed 10 years |
The police prosecutor, Inspector Peter Nwangwu,
while giving the facts of the case, said the victim reported the matter at the
Yaba Police Station.
He said, “On August 16, 2014 at about 5pm, the two
defendants and four others now at large, conspired together and had intercourse
with the victim without her consent.
“She reported the matter at the Yaba Police
Division. She explained that on the fateful day, she was called by the men
while she was hawking a local sweet.
“They bought some from her and after she finished
selling to some other customers, she went back to meet them for her money.
“She went to meet Paul (Setonji) being the eldest
and he directed her to meet Abraham (Huvensu). They started directing her to
one another.
“Finally, Paul told her to go to a primary school
within the vicinity that the youngest among them was there and he would give
her the money.”
The prosecutor said the 20-year-old innocently went
into the school building without knowing the men were on her trail.
“They overpowered her and tore her pants. Two
others held her legs apart and they raped her.
“At a point, she became very weak and fainted. The
men used her hijab to fan her and asked her to get up and go home.
“She wore just a long gown and she went directly to
the police to report the matter.”
Nwangwu urged the court to sentence the men
accordingly, as “the first defendant is a grandfather and is supposed to have a
daughter of the girl’s age.”
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A. Ipaye-Nwachukwu,
admitted the statements of the defendants and the victim as exhibits.
The defendants, who spoke through an interpreter,
admitted that the prosecutor’s account was valid, begging the court to forgive
them.
Ipaye-Nwachukwu, having found them guilty,
sentenced them to five years imprisonment on each count.
She said, “On count one, the first and second
defendant convicts are sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour.
“On count two, they are also sentenced to five
years imprisonment. The sentences are to run concurrently.”
Source: Punch
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