Pastor in alleged rape of 12yr-old girl gets bail

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After seven months in detention over allegation of defiling a 12-year-old primary six pupil; Mathew Onakoya, 32, was on Friday granted bail by an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

The defendant, who claimed to be a pastor, was first arraigned on Dec. 29, 2011 and charged with alleged rape of the girl on Christmas eve.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that at his arraignment the ‘pastor’ pleaded not guilty to the charge and was remanded in prison custody by the court.

Mr T.O. Shomade, the magistrate, ordered that the defendant should be remanded in custody pending the legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
At the resumed hearing, Shomade said that the legal advice from the DPP had established a prima facie case against the defendant.

”A case of rape has been established against the accused and he is admitted to bail in the sum of N500, 000 with two sureties,” the magistrate said.

He also ordered that both sureties must be residents of Lagos and must each deposit the sum of N30, 000 with the Lagos State High Court registry.

During Onakoya’s arraignment, the prosecutor, ASP Friday Eze told the court that the defendant, a resident of Ojo-Igbede Road, allegedly committed the offence on Dec. 24. 2011.

He had said that the defendant had invited the teenager to his residence at about 9:00 p.m. with a promise to give her some money to purchase fireworks popularly called “knock out”.

Eze had said that after the money was given to the girl, the defendant seized her and raped her.

The prosecutor had said that the offence contravened Section 158 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Lagos State 2011. Shomade adjourned the case to October. 8 for trial.

Nigeria requires collective prayers, commitment – Jonathan

By vanguard news paper
On August 25, 2012 · In News 12:09 pm

Owerri - The wife of the President of Nigeria, Dame Patience Jonathan, has said that restoration of sustainable peace in the country required collective prayers and commitment.

Jonathan made this known at the 27th annual national conference of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) held in Owerri on Friday.

She said that both Christian and Muslim religion was founded on peace, adding that any attempt to portray any of the religion as violent should be frowned at.

Represented by the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina, Jonathan commended the Muslim women for organising the programme in Imo.
She said it was a demonstration of the importance of unity and acceptance which should be encouraged in the nation.

She described the Nigerian women as bridge builders and people endowed with potential that impact positively in the society and urged them not to relent in their effort to build the bridge of understanding.

“We will continue to encourage women to rise up to their responsibility as nation builders.

“We urge them to take the message of peace to their children and wards and encourage them to engage in activities that will bring harmony to the nation,” she said.
Jonathan called on all religious leaders to be vanguards of peace as well as encourage peaceful coexistence among themselves.
Gov. Rochas Okorocha of Imo said that there would be no meaningful peace if all the religious bodies did not relate as one.

He commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the way he was able to curtail the insecurity in the nation, adding that insecurity had become a global affair and not only peculiar to Nigeria.
Okorocha congratulated the Muslim women for choosing Imo as the state to start the spread of the gospel of peace in the nation and wished them success in their endeavour.
“We see all these security issues as a challenge. I want you to use Imo as the centre of unity; a point of action that will involve Christians and Muslims to curb insecurity,” he said.
Earlier, the FOMWAN President, Hajiya Maryam Othman, explained that the choice of Imo for this year’s conference was not