Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), counsel to James Aguedo, one of the students charged with gang-raping a student of the University of Lagos (Unilag) on Monday appealed to an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Special Offences Court to grant the student bail to enable him to sit for an examination.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 20-year-old Aguedo, a student of Babcock University, is standing trial alongside Moboluwaji Omowole, Chuka Chukwu and Peace Nwankama, all aged 19, as well as Josephine Osemeka, 20.
The defendants are alleged to be among some students involved in the serial gang-rape of a Unilag student (name withheld), in 2017, within the premises of the institution.
Pedro prayed the court to allow Aguedo to write the examination scheduled for April by granting him bail.
“By April, he is to start his examination in Babcock University; we urge your lordship to exercise discretion on the most compassionate grounds and grant the defendant bail for him to take part in the examination,” Pedro said.
Earlier, while addressing the court, Pedro submitted that Aguedo had a health challenge and was charged with a misdemeanor.
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“The defendant is suffering a recurring back ailment. We brought not just a medical report, but the history, because he has been attending an orthopaedic hospital,” the SAN said.
Responding, the lead prosecution counsel, Mrs. Fehinti Ogbemudia, prayed the court to deny the defendant bail.
“The prosecution submits that the application for bail lacks merit and should be refused,” Ogbemudia said.
Following the submissions, Justice Abiola Soladoye adjourned the case until April 18 for ruling on the bail application.
NAN reports that Aguedo and his four co-defendants are facing a three count charge of defilement of a child, permitting defilement of a child in a premises and procuration.
They, however, denied committing the offences.
The alleged victim had on February 26 testified that she was lured by Nwankama, who was her roommate to High Rise, a staff quarters in UNILAG.
She said she was gang-raped at High Rise by eight students, adding that the sexual assault was video taped.
According to the student, she was also blackmailed with the video and further gang-raped on other occasions by the defendants and their accomplices who are now at large.
NAN reports that all the defendants were remanded at the Kirikiri Prisons, Lagos State, on February 26 – the day they were arraigned. (NAN)