From Halima Abdulkadir, Lagos
A 35 year old Bank cleaner Essien Akpan, who allegedly grabbed and raped his neighbour’s wife was Thursday arraigned in a Lagos Magistrate’s sitting in Ajegunle.
The defendant who resides at 19, Prince Fadine Street, Olodi Apapa, Lagos, is facing a one count charge of sexual assault preferred against him by the police.
Earlier the victim had narrated that on the day of the incident, she had come out of her apartment at 2am, to pick her children’s clothes from the line since it was about to rain, when the defendant grabbed and raped her from behind.
The victim who is a housewife and a mother of four said, ”Before the incident Akpan, had approached me that he loves me and I told him that it cannot work because I am a married woman with four children, but he kept pestering me until the day he raped me.
“I was picking my children’s clothes from the line, without knowing that he was outside, when all of a sudden he removed my wrapper and started raping me from behind, I shouted for help but nobody came to my rescue, she said.”
In his defense, the defendant said he didn’t rape the neighbour’s wife as she was his girlfriend. He said ” On March 28, at about 11: 30pm, she called me to come and make love to her which I did and then, I told her that I love her, she now asked me why I didn’t tell her earlier, I then told her that I was afraid that was why I didn’t tell her.”
The prosecutor, Sargent Kokoye Olusegun, told the court that the incident occurred at about 2am, on March 30, 2018, at the address mentioned above. He said that Akpan unlawfully had sexual intercourse with his neighbour’s wife, name withheld.
Olusegun said ” The defendant was arrested after the victim called her husband who was out of Lagos, to inform him of what had happened to her.” According to him, the offence committed is Punishable under section 168 (d) criminal law of Lagos State 2015. However the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Magistrate Mrs L.Y Balogun granted the defendant bail in the sum of N 50,000, with two sureties in like sum. She said that the sureties must show evidence of livelihood and tax clearance. The case was adjourned till September 17, for mention.
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