A 29-year old farmer identified as Ikumuyi Isreal has been arraigned before an Akure Magistrate Court for raping a minor to death.
The victim identified as Esther Friday died while the suspect was having sex with her.
It was learnt that the incident happened on February 2, 2021, at Akinfosile Village near Igbotako, Ondo State.
But the suspect however claimed that he mistakenly suffocated the victim while using cloth to cover her mouth to stop her from crying for help.
He reportedly told police interrogators that he had no girlfriend and developed sexual urge when the victim followed him to his room.
Accoridng to him, “I don’t mean to rape her, but when she slept with me on bed. I felt aroused and decided to quickly have sexual intercourse with her. I did not force her to have sex. We were together on the bed. Trouble started when I was trying to put my penis inside her vagina, it did not enter very well.
“My penis did not penetrate despite all my efforts to make sure I insert it. It did not fully enter. I covered her mouth with my cover cloth so that she could not raise alarm, she was crying, but nobody could hear or come for her help.”
He said the corpse of Esther was in his room from 4:30pm till 6pm when the deed was discovered.
But Police Prosecutor, Inspector Uloh Goodluck, informed the court that the suspect lured the victim into his room with the promise of giving her N100.
He said that the offence committed by the accused person contravened sections 316, 319(1) of the Criminal Code Cap 37, Vol. 1 Laws of the Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.
Goodluck urged the court to remand the accused person to prison custody pending the outcome of the legal advice from the Department of Public Prosecution
The plea of Isreal was not taken as he had no Counsel.
Presiding Magistrate, N. T Aladejana remanded him to the Owo correctional Centre pending the outcome of DPP advice.
The case was adjourned to May 3, 2021 for mentioning.
By Osagie Otabor