By Sunnews Times Editor.
A High court sitting in Benin City, Edo State capital remanded three persons, Mr. Lucky Igbinovia popularly known as One Man Squad, and the head of the vigilance group at Ugbiyoko community, Benin City, Joel Otoghile and Iyamu Kingsley to prison for debasing a 24 year old Lady, Miss Favour Friday, by pinning her to the ground and inserting substances suspected to be pepper into her private parts, on allegation of iPhone theft valued at N 440,000.00.
Favour, a Rivers State indigene narrated that she started living in Benin 2018, but that on February 1, 2019 some men accused her of stealing iphone and debased her by inserting substances into her private part which she realized was pepper, after she was beaten and stripped by the men who accused her of stealing iPhone X Max.
She further narrated to the court on how one of the men were breaking and mixing Tramadol inside a bottle of Coca Cola while she sat with her friends at one Lafun Hotel, Benin, adding that the action made her fearful and she called the attention of her friend who did not know what tramadol was that they were breaking and mixing tramadol in readiness to deal with them sexually.
According to her, this probably angered the men who now plotted to frame her for iphone theft .
“They took us to One Man Squad’s house who took us to a native Doctor that informed them that the person who stole the phone would disappear and urged her to confess over the theft but that she refused since she did not know anything about it.
Favour narrated that after the native doctor left, the men started beating her, stripped her and inserted pepperish substances into her private parts, while one of them was video-recording their actions.
The men were subsequently arraigned on a 14-count charge bordering on kidnapping, attempted murder, unlawful administration of noxious substance into the private parts of Favour, unlawful trial by ordeal, among others by the suspects.
The prosecution counsel, Peter Ugwumba, told the court that investigations showed that no phone was missing and that it was conceived to extort money from the victim. He added: “A native doctor was yet to be arrested, as he magically inserted two live bullets into Favor’s body, and threatened that she would die if she refused to confess.”
The presiding judge, Justice J. Acha, remanded the accused in prison and adjourned the case to a later date. He ordered the prosecution to produce other suspects at large in court, especially the native doctor, who pointed Favour as the person who stole Otoghile’s phone.
The Police Commissioner, Odumosu, said investigation into the missing phone, which led to pepper being inserted in Favour’s private parts, revealed that no phone was stolen or missing.
The Governor, Obaseki, who signed the bill at the Government House, Benin, said he was aware that the bill touched on fundamental practices among the people.
He promised that he was not only signing the bill as a formality, but would ensure it was implemented to the letter. END
