LAGOS – Four months after arraignment over allegations of defiling three minors, Godspower Eva, 52, is to be tried over alleged sexual assault and defilement of minors before a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
Eva, a security guard, living at 23A, Adebayo Doherty Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State, is standing trial on a four-count charge of attempting to defile, sexual assault and defilement of minors.
At the resumed hearing on Tuesday, the Magistrate, Mrs Yewande Aje-Afunwa, said that the court had received legal advice from the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the matter.
The advice directed that Eva be tried for unlawful sexual assault and defilement of minors, she said.
Mrs Aje-Afunwa said the advice noted that statements made by the parties involved corroborated each other and that other surrounding circumstances showed that the minors were assaulted at different times by Eva.
At his arraignment on March 19, the prosecutor, ASP Godwin Anyanwu, had told the court that the accused committed the offences on Feb. 17, at his residence.
Anyanwu alleged that the defendant took advantage of four girls of ages — 14, 12, 10 and nine years , respectively, and sexually assaulted them.
“Eva, on Feb. 17, had sexual intercourse with three minors of ages –12, 10 and nine years, in his room, after promising to give them N100 each,
“He conspired with their 14-year-old classmate, whom he had earlier also defiled, to invite the other three girls to his house.
“He bribed them with N100 each,” the prosecutor said.
Anyanwu said that Eva was apprehended at the instance of one of the parents of the defiled minors, who reported to the police after her child confessed her ordeal.
Eva, however, denied the charge.
The prosecutor said that the offence contravened Sections 409 and 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Aje-Afunwa had during the first arraignment, ordered that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the DPP, for advice.
She had also referred the allegedly defiled minors to the Clinical Psychologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, (LASUTH), Ikeja, Lagos State, for counselling. (NAN)
