…Case Adjourned For Continuation Of Hearing
A victim who was allegedly raped in hotel in Bonny Island testified in court on Thursday.
The lady whose name has not been revealed to the press testified before Honourable Justice S.H. Aprioku of Port-Harcourt High Court.
The defendant in the case, Anthony Kalu, faces prosecution for rape, kidnapping and armed robbery and the case is between the Rivers State government and the defendant.
On Thursday, the victim testified in court how she was forcefully raped by the defendant with threats of violence.
The proceedings could not however go on when she needed to produce exhibits including medical reports that she was attended by doctors.
The exhibits were already tendered before another court which tried the case and the case had to be adjourned for prosecution to get the exhibits from the first court.
The incident took place in Bonny Island in Bonny Local Government where the victim was allegedly drugged and taken to a “strange environment” in the Island and raped and ransom demanded from her parents. The victim who is a graduate of a Nigerian university was awaiting her National Youth Service at the time of the incident.
She was living outside Rivers State when her friend from Bonny Island living outside the state invited her to come with her to the Island and get short-time job while awaiting youth service.
The story goes that on a particular day she was ill while her friend was at work and had called her friend to say she was ill. Her friend had asked her to call an errand boy who she was also familiar with who was to get her some drugs so she could get relief.
The story goes that as the boy brought the drugs and she had taken them she passed out and woke up in a strange environment on top a big mattress.
The errand boy who is the defendant was by her side with a gun and jack knife and threatened that he could kill her.
He reportedly collected her phone worth two hundred and seventy thousand naira (270,000) and transferred money in her account into his own account.
The defendant also forced her to lie to her parents that she was ill and to send money and the money sent he would transfer to his account until the day she regained freedom.
She however got back into his hands when hotel staff allegedly gave information about her to the defendant.
Speaking about the case with reporters, the state prosecuting counsel, Chidi Ekeh, said: “We commenced full hearing and the victim of the crime testified in-chief substantially until we got to a point where she needed to tender the exhibits”.
The defendant was taken back to custody and the case adjourned to 12 and 16 April for continuation of hearing.
