A 75-year-old man, Sunday Moghalu, who was accused of impregnating his ward, aged 13, has been remanded in prison.
NIGERIACRIME gathered that the teenager, who was recently delivered of a child, was raped by her guardian.
Moghalu was remanded by a Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, after the victim was rescued by the state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare.
The incident reportedly happened in Umuoruka village, Awka, the state capital, where both of them stayed before the victim was rescued.
The suspect was, on Wednesday, brought before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, Awka, presided over by Chief Magistrate Genevieve Osakwe.
The prosecutor arraigned Moghalu on three counts of defilement, carnal knowledge, emotional, verbal and psychological abuse.
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Ruling on the bail application by the defense counsel, the presiding court said the rate of rape and defilement of minors in the state was alarming, adding that the defendant was old enough to be the grandfather of the complainant.
The chief magistrate stated that although the counsel for the defendant sought bail on the grounds that Muoghalu had acute diabetes and hypertension, he failed to present any medical report or hospital extract to that effect.
The court refused the bail application and ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison, while urging the prosecuting counsel to forward the case file to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the state Ministry of Justice to enable it to file information before the High Court.
Earlier, the teenage mother told the police that she hailed from Akwa Ibom State, while her biological parents stayed in Agulu, Anambra State.
She said, “Mr Muoghalu’s wife is known as Madam Ghana. This started when Madam Ghana travelled to the village.
“This started when I began to see my menstruation and he started forcing me to sleep with him. I once told Madam Ghana about it, and she cautioned her husband, but when it continued, I could not do much any longer.”