Tricycle Operator Remanded for Alleged Defilement of Minor
The Anambra State Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Offences Court in Awka has ordered the remand of 18-year-old Chibuike Agu, a tricycle operator, for the alleged rape of a 13-year-old girl. The court, presided over by Chief Magistrate U.E. Onochie, issued the remand order on Thursday after the defendant was arraigned on a single count of defilement.
Prosecution Details the Offence
Inspector Chinyere Okechukwu, the prosecutor, informed the court that the offence occurred between 2025 and June 2026 at No. 1 Miss Eleme Street, Fegge, Onitsha. According to Okechukwu, the defendant, who regularly transported the girl to school with his tricycle, took her to his house in 2025 and had carnal knowledge of her. The prosecutor stated: “The girl from then continued visiting him three times a week, and when she goes on such visits, she steals food items and money from her aunt’s shop and takes them to the defendant.”
Discovery and Medical Confirmation
The matter came to light when the aunt noticed money and food items missing from her shop, and the school reported that the girl attended classes only twice a week. The aunt’s husband questioned the girl, who revealed that the defendant had been sleeping with her. A medical examination at the Ntasi Sexual Assault Referral Centre at General Hospital, Enugu-Ukwu, confirmed that the girl had been defiled.
Legal Basis and Court Order
Okechukwu noted that the offence is punishable under Section 34(2) of the state’s Child Rights Law, 2004, and prayed for the defendant’s remand under Section 130(2)(a)(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, 2022. Chief Magistrate Onochie ordered Agu remanded at the Awka correctional facility and adjourned the case until August 5 for hearing. (NAN)
