Sikiru M. Jimoh
11 July 2008
Abuja — An Abuja magistrate yesterday ordered that three ladies be remanded in prison custody pending proper applications for their bail.
The three ladies, Uchenna Eze, Chidinma Aza and Chizenu Ocha, all residents of Morning Star Hotel, Nyanya, were alleged to have used razor blades to inflict injuries on one Ifeoma Gabriel, another lady residing in the same hotel.
While reading out the police report, Assistant Court Registrar, Miss Patience Onoja told the court that on June 17, Miss Ifeoma Gabriel reported to the police that the three accused persons and another lady (now on the run) jointly attacked her in the hotel's premises.
"In the process of fighting, the first accused, Uchenna, used a razor blade to lacerate Ifeoma's arm and face thereby inflicting serious injuries on her," the registrar added.
When the charges were read in the first hearing to the accused persons, Uchenna admitted guilt while Chidinma and Chizenu denied them.
In yesterday's hearing, Barrister Oti Stephen appeared for the three accused persons and he told the court that the first accused person has changed her plea.
The lawyer put the age of the first accused at 16 year-old and he called her an underage person
"The first accused person is a confirmed professional prostitute and if further investigation from her parents reveals that she is only sixteen, the parents will have to face the law for child trafficking," he said.
The lawyer then requested for their bail and Chief Magistrate Ramatu Gulmar ordered him to make a formal application before remanding the three ladies at Keffi Prisons.
The case was adjourned to July 22 for ruling.
In another court, an ex-convict was sentenced to six months imprisonment with hard labour for robbing a woman of her handset.
The accused, Gabriel Oneke (29) was convicted for luring one Miss Gloria Abnokonkon into a bush, where members of his gang and himself collected her handset.
Court Registrar, Mr Musa Bage, while reading the police report, explained that Miss Gloria reported to the police on October 11, 2007, that the accused deceived her and took her to a bush at Area 1, where members of his gang were waiting and they jointly with one Adams and two others at large, collected her Nokia handset valued at N14, 600.
Prosecutor Ali Otijele disclosed in the court that the accused was an ex-convict.
"In 2007, the accused was sentenced to three months imprisonment for stealing two containers of MTN recharge cards," he disclosed.
During the first hearing, the accused denied the charges and was found guilty yesterday after the trial proceedings ended.
Trial magistrate, Fatima Usman Mukhtar sentenced him to six months with hard labour and ordered that he pays the sum of N14, 600 as compensation to the nominal complainant.
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