Crime

Pastor Bags Life Jail For Impregnating Two Sisters

Published

1 month ago

February 15, 2023

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic and Violence Court on Tuesday convicted and sentenced a 51-year-old pastor, Nduka Anyanwu, to life imprisonment for defiling and impregnating two teenage sisters.

Justice Abiola Soladoye handed down the sentence after finding Anyanwu guilty of the offence.

Anyanwu was arraigned on April 17, 2022, on two counts of defilement by the Lagos State Government.

The offence was said to have been committed between 2019 and August 2020 at Arowojobe Street, in the Oshodi area of the state.

According to the prosecution, the offence is punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

The defendant pleaded not guilty when he was arraigned, trial commenced and ended on October 11, 2022.

The prosecution called six witnesses, while the defendant testified as his sole witness.

When the matter came up on Tuesday for judgment, Olushola Shoneye announced his appearance for the state, but the defence was not represented.

During the trial, the first prosecution witness testified that though she is now 15-year-old, she was 13-year-old at the time incident happened.

She testified that the defendant was known to her as the pastor of their church and that he had been having sex with her and warned her not to tell anyone.

The victim stated that the defendant said she would not get pregnant, but she eventually got pregnant and had a child for the defendant.

The second prosecution witness, the older sister to PW1, now 19-year-old, but was 17-year-old, at the time of the incident, collaborated the first witness’ testimony that the defendant was their pastor.

She narrated how the defendant had sexual intercourse with her with the consent of her parents, that he would take her abroad for greener pastures, and she started visiting him.

A guardian and counsellor with Lagos State, Mrs Memunat Dawudu, who collaborated on the evidence of the victims, testified that she got to know about the matter on August 3, 2020, from the Oshodi Primary Health Centre.

The father of the victims, in his testimony, stated that he knew the defendant, as he was a church member, and also his friend that he was responsible for his two daughters’ pregnancies.

He said he was aware that the defendant was having sex with his daughters.

The mother of the victims, in her evidence, stated that she was shocked when she found out that her two daughters were impregnated by the same man.

Anyanwu, who testified, in his defence, said it was the father of the victims who gave him the second prosecution witness, as a wife and they were having conjugal relations.

While delivering judgment, the judge held that the prosecution was able to discharge the burden of proof placed on it, on the charge of defilement.

Justice Sholadoye held that the three ingredients of defilement, were that the child was underage, the defendant had sexual intercourse with the victim and the consent of the child was not sought.

She said,” I am convinced of the evidence led that the defendant is guilty as charged for the offence of defilement.

“The police shied away from their responsibility by not charging the father of the victims along with the defendant.

“The parents of these victims are highly irresponsible and reckless in their parenting. The negligence of their children has contributed to them now being grandparents of two additional mouths to feed. They should have been sanctioned and brought to justice.

“The parents of these two victims, who are biological sisters, acted irresponsibly by allowing their so-called pastor friend to deceive them that he will help them take their children abroad when the defendant cannot even help himself.

“Nduka Anyawu, you are hereby sentenced to life imprisonment, in respect of count one and count two.

“The sentence is to run concurrently, his name should be registered in the Lagos State offenders’ register.”
PUNCH

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Crime

Convicted Nigerian Woman Extradited To U.S. Over Illicit Payment

Published

3 days ago

March 25, 2023

Editor

A convicted Nigerian fugitive, Florence Enwerim Onyegbu, was on Thursday, extradited to the United States of America, where she is wanted to answer to criminal charges bordering on the violation of the U.S. law involving the offer and payment of illegal remuneration in a health care matter.

Onyegbu ‘sextradition was coordinated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, following a request by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, seeking assistance for her apprehension.

The EFCC said its investigations revealed that she had changed her name from Florence E. Onyegbu to Janet Boi in an attempt to remain hidden.

But that she however ran out of luck when operatives of the EFCC swooped on her at her residence in the Ojodu area of Lagos on February 21, 2022.

The anti-graft agency said that upon her arrest, a national identity card with the name Janet Boi as well as a Texas driver’s license with the name Florence Enwerim Onyegbu were found on her.

The Commission, on March 22, 2023, handed over Onyegbu to the FBI, following an extradition order granted by Justice Z.B. Abubakar of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on December 2, 2022.

It will be recalled that Onyegbu’s travails began after she was arrested on February 12, 2011 in the U.S. and subsequently sentenced to 46 months imprisonment, following a guilty plea , over the violation of the U.S. law bordering on the offer and payment of illegal remuneration in a health care matter.

Although she was ordered to report for service of her sentence on April 4, 2011, she failed to surrender on that date.

Consequently, she was further charged with failure to surrender for service of sentence in violation of U.S. Law on March 4, 2013.

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Crime

Man To Die By Hanging For Robbery, Kidnapping

Published

3 days ago

March 24, 2023

Editor

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja on Thursday sentenced four men to death by hanging for armed robbery and kidnapping of a woman, Mrs Gloria Emole.

The convicts are Victor Chukwunonso, Ifeanyi Maduaka, Obinna Nwankwo and Richard Nwabueze.

Justice Lateef Lawal-Akapo held that the prosecution was able to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

The convicts were said to have committed the offences on November 19, 2012, at about 8.30 am.

They were arraigned on July 13, 2013, and were remanded in prison custody.

The convicts were arraigned on a three-count bordering on conspiracy, armed robbery and kidnapping preferred against them by Lagos State.

The state Director of Public Prosecution, Dr Babajide Martins, had told the court during their arraignment that they kidnapped the victim who was about to leave her house at 7, Unity Street, Ogudu GRA, Lagos.

According to the prosecutor, the offences committed are contrary to and punishable under Sections 297,285 (2) a, and 291, of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

The victim was later released on November 22, 2012, after a ransom of $70,000 was paid by her husband.

“The defendants are sentenced to 10 years for the first count of conspiracy. They are hereby sentenced to death by hanging for the second count of armed robbery and sentenced to 21 years imprisonment for the third count of kidnapping,” Justice Lawal-Akapo held.

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Crime

Man Bags Life Jail For Defiling Colleague’s Nine-year-old Daughter

Published

3 days ago

March 24, 2023

Editor

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Lagos on Thursday sentenced a 51-year-old man, Ubregbo Parmer, to life imprisonment for defiling his colleague’s nine-year-old daughter.

Justice Abiola Soladoye sentenced the convict after finding him guilty of the offence of defilement.

The judge held that the prosecution sufficiently proved the charge of defilement against the convict.

Justice Soladoye stated that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses, the victim and a medical doctor showed that the convict committed the offence.

The judge said, “The evidence of the respective prosecution witnesses established the ingredients of the offence against the defendant who was properly identified by the victim.

“The victim gave a vivid and gory account of her ordeal in the hands of the defendant.

“I hereby find him guilty as charged of the one-count charge of defilement and he is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.

“The defendant should have his name registered in the sexual offence register as maintained by Lagos State.”

The judge berated the victim’s mother for being negligent in her care and allowing her child to be taken away by her male colleague, without supervision.

“The need for proper and good parentage cannot be undermined at this age and time where defilement and rape are the order of the day.

“Parents should be alive to their responsibilities,” Justice Soladoye said.

The state counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, called two witnesses and tendered two exhibits during the trial while the defendant testified as the sole witness in his defence.

Adegoke said the victim’s mother brought her daughter to the office and left her to attend to other things when the convict quickly removed her pant and had sexual intercourse with her.

She said the convict committed the offence on December 10, 2019, in Magodo, Lagos, The PUNCH reports.

According to her, the offence contravenes the provisions of Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2015.