A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, chaired by Obinna Njemanze, had on Friday, August 18, remanded a 30-year-old self-acclaimed cleric, Emeka Michael for reportedly having carnal knowledge of a 12-year-old girl who came to his house for holidays.
The Chief Magistrate had refused the jurisdiction to hear the case but relied on Section 89 (b) of the Imo State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2020 to accept the oral bail application by the defence counsel, Justice S. Nwankwo Esq.
The counsel for the State, Nkechi Iwuoha had opposed the bail application, citing the nature of the crime and the fact that the defense counsel had not given any special circumstances or convincing reason to warrant the grant of bail to the accused.
The Court had however, in its ruling, declined the bail application and directed for the accused to be remanded at the Correctional Center Owerri and subsequently shifted the hearing till October 5, 2023, for the Director of Public Prosecutions’ report.
The 12-year-old victim is said to hail from Anambra State, and had been on holiday in the house of the accused, together with her brither aged 6, at Naze in Owerri North LGA of Imo State when the incident happened.
The girl had run away from the accused’s house after being sexually abused and thereafter got rescued and taken to the Police by a good samaritan through an Owerri-based radio station.
The attention of FIDA Imo Chairperson, Joy Nwosu-Azuama was called to the poor girl’s plight and a case was subsequently opened.
