Two men have been remanded in prison custody by a Chief Magistrate Court in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State for allegedly engaging in homosexual activities.
The accused persons, Ebuka Anyasi 23, Michael Ikegbunam 19 and others now at large, were arraigned before the court on Monday, June 15, 2015 on a three count charge of conspiracy, unnatural canal knowledge and Seven days confinement of their victims.
According to the prosecution, the accused and others at large had between 2010 to June 6, 2015 at Okolonji Street, Odoakpu Onitsha, conspired among themselves and allegedly committed felony by having carnal Knowledge of Ifechukwu Okafor (14) and Tagbo Chukwuma, as well as locking both victims in confinement while the unnatural act lasted for seven days, Vanguard reported.
However, the accused men made a plea of innocence to the three count charge brought against them by the president of the court, His Worship, Nkemdilim Ike, as their lead counsel, John Chukwuma, prayed the court to grant them bail based on the fact that the offence was a bailable one.
The defence counsel said, “There is no need to further detain my clients, since before the law, they are innocent and their accusers have no evidence to proof the case”.
Contrarily, the case Prosecutor, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, Clem Nwancho, opposed the bail application based on the fact that some of the members in the cartel of homosexuality who were caught with the two accused and granted bail by the police were nowhere to be found even in their residence.
He said, “Your Worship, it is clear that they would jump bail and abscond as others have done and they are at large now.”
The bail application was also objected by a lead counsel to the plaintiff, Godwin Mmadubuko, who maintained that the accused might not show up in court subsequently if they are granted bail.
“Keeping them out of custody, within the society would endanger the lives of the victims, their families and the society at large since they would gang-up with their cartel to harm others” Mmadubuko said.
Furthermore, another counsel to the plaintiffs, Jude Umennajiego, urged the court to give a directive to the State Ministry of Health to conduct a medical test on the victims.
He said, “The order is necessary since these boys have no money to run the test on their own and the result of the test is important to determine the case”.
The Chief Magistrate Ike later directed the counsels for the defence and prosecution to submit their written applications and counter-applications for bail before Monday, June 22, 2015.
Additionally, she ordered the police prosecutor to investigate whether government health facilities can run medical test for the victims free of charge and report back to her before Wednesday, June 17, 2015.
The Magistrate further directed that the two accused be remanded in Onitsha Prisons till Monday, June 22, when she would determine their fate after she must have looked into the applications and counter-applications.
