Kemisola Oye
JUSTICE Abiola Soladoye of a Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court sitting in Ikeja has been told how a sales girl, Chiwendu Onwuasoanya abducted a 12-year-old girl from her guardian.
Onwuasoanya, as a sales girl at Omo-Onile Lake View area of Abule Ado, was charged in court with the alleged abduction of a minor by the Lagos State government.
At the resumed proceeding earlier today, when a prosecution witness, Inspector Funmilayo Alaye was led-in-evidence by the state counsel, Mrs Olufunke Adegoke, the witness, narrated to the court that she had to track the defendant’s phone number before she was arrested.
She told the court that, on 13 June 2022, a case of child abduction was reported by the complainant at the Trade Fair Divisional Police Station and the case was referred to her for investigation.
Inspector Alaye said that the complainant narrated that she employed the defendant (Onwuasoanya) as a sales girl in the Omo-Onile Lake View area of Abule Ado.
She said, “For three days thereafter, she did not show up but she heard from her neighbours that the defendant left with a little girl.
“I then demanded the defendant’s phone number and then called her. She picked and when I asked her where the little girl was, she said she didn’t know.
“Six days later, I tracked her phone and got to her house. I saw her in her house sitting on the pavement. I then introduced myself to her and also asked her if she was Chiwendu to which she said yes.
“I then asked her where was the girl she took away, she said the girl was inside the house so she took me to her room where I saw the girl and then arrested her and took her and the girl to the police station.”
The police officer further told the court that a senior officer in the station obtained her statement as well as the victim’s statement. She added that the defendant was charged to a customary court in Ojo.
“The abducted girl was 12-year-old and the complainant, Ruth Dunu, had taken her back to her parents in the village,” the witness said.
When the prosecution counsel sought to tender the statement of the victim, as an exhibit, the defence counsel, H. O. Adudu objected to the admissibility of the statement on the grounds that it was not tendered through her.
In her response, Adegoke stated that the document forms part of the recorded investigation conducted by the Investigation Police Officer (IPO).
She said, “Section 83 (3) of the Evidence Act states that this document is admissible. The IPO stated that the document was recorded by her boss on behalf of the victim after she was rescued from the defendant.”
In a bench ruling, Justice Soladoye dismissed the defence counsel’s objection, admitted the document in evidence and marked it as ‘exhibit C’.
The judge held that the “statement of the victim is relevant and is admissible in evidence”.
However, the defence counsel made an application for an adjournment stating that he was just briefed on the case and was given the proof of evidence in the courtroom and so needed to study it before he could cross-examine the witness.
The judge subsequently adjourned further hearing to 26 September 2023.
Eighteen-Eleven Media