An Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court on Tuesday heard how a 17-year-old student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka, Lagos (names withheld) was allegedly gang-raped by eight fellow students who also blackmailed her with a video recording of the assault.
Five of the students, Moboluwaji Omowole, 19, Chuka Chukwu, 19, Peace Nwankama, 19, James Aguedu, 20 and Osemeka Josephine, 20 were arraigned on a three-count charge of defilement of a child, permitting the defilement of a child in a premises and procuration before Justice Abiola Soladoye.
The students, who pleaded not guilty to the charge, have been remanded in Kirikiri prisons by the trial judge while others were said to be still at large.
The lead state prosecutor, Mrs. K.A Momoh-Ayokambi, said the defendants alongside others committed the offences in January 2017 at the premises of UNILAG, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos.
Led in evidence by Momoh-Ayokambi, the survivor told the court that she became friends with Nwankama (the third defendant) who was her roommate when she moved into the school hostel at the inception of the 2016/2017 academic session.
She alleged that it was Nwankama, who lured her to be gang raped by the defendants, who was one of the three friends she made while sharing same room with her in the hostel.
She said they were close to the extent that Nwankama introduced her to her parents on their matriculation day held January 13 to 17, 2017.
Narrating her ordeal, the survivor told the court, one day, Nwankama called me on the phone and asked if she wanted to hang out with another boy called Yinka, one of those now at large, at High Rise, a staff quarters UNILAG.
She said when replied that she would think about it, the third defendant cut the phone and called back.
She said instead of her, it was Yinka, who was talking to her and explained that it was a hangout for friends and that her room-mate, Nwankama would be there.
