A
21-year-old lady has indicated her interest to withdraw a case of rape
which is currently before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court, Tinubu, Lagos
Island.
In a letter written to the court and
signed by her, the lady (name withheld) stated that she wanted the
matter withdrawn and settled out of court in view of the fact that the
accused person had apologised for his actions.
The complainant had accused one Fashanu
of having a carnal knowledge of her without her consent. She had told
the police during her statement that the incident happened on Friday,
September 12, 2014.
She said she had gone to the Lagos Island
on that fateful day to see a friend. When she got to the Island, she
tried calling the friend she had gone to meet, but realised that her
battery was down. In the course of asking around and looking for where
to charge her phone,
she said she met Fashanu, who offered to help her
charge her phone in his house.
She claimed that while Fashanu took the
phone inside his room to charge, she stood outside. Minutes later,
Fashanu called her to come inside and answer a call as her phone was
ringing. She further claimed that Fashanu subsequently forced himself on
her and had sex with her, threatening to kill her if she refused to
cooperate.
Fashanu, in his defence, had alleged that
the lady was his girlfriend. He claimed that she had called him earlier
on that day that she was coming to visit him. He further claimed that
they had sex by mutual consent during the visit, after which the lady
asked him for some money. According to him, he promised to give her the
money at a later date, but she was not satisfied with the response, only
for her to accuse him of raping her.
Fashanu had been arraigned on one count
of rape which read, “That you Fashanu, on September 12, 2014, at about
6.30pm on Okesuna Street, Lagos Island, in the Lagos Magisterial
District, did have unlawful carnal knowledge of one … aged 21 years
without her consent and thereby committed an offence punishable under
Section 285 of the criminal law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2011.”
He had pleaded not guilty and had been
granted bail by Senior Magistrate M.L. Owolabi in the sum of N300, 000
with two sureties in like sum.
PUNCH
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