Three persons suspected to be armed robbers and rapists have been arraigned before a Makurdi High Court for allegedly abducting and raping the wife of a medical doctor and lecturer at the Benue State University (both names withheld).
The accused persons have been identified as Terseer Tersoo, Iornegene Jinjingi and Gbanwuan Uhentsev and were brought before Justice Elizabeth Kpojime of High Court 4 Makurdi.
The Police Prosecutor, Inspector Peter Baaki, told the court that the accused persons have confessed to committing the crimes in the written statements.
Punch reports that lawyers and prosecutors handling the case, adopted and submitted the statements during police investigations as a plea before the court for further hearing.
The inspector stressed that the statements were not written under any form of duress and that the environment had been conducive without any form of interference.
Inspector Baaki told the court of how a police informant had called on September 21st, 2015 to inform the C divisional Police office North Bank, Makurdi that a gang of armed men had broken into a residence belonging to a lecturer and a medical doctor at Nyion Layout of Makurdi and robbed, raped and abducted a woman from the compound
He said, “We went into action and thereafter intercepted and apprehended all the suspects in a Peugeot 406 at Keana local government area of Nasarawa state, and rescued the victim and also recovered weapons including guns, Samsung handsets, two mask tape, two pairs of shoes, one iron cutter from the three suspects.”
The state prosecuting counsel, Simon Egede urged the court to remand the defendants in prison custody with the exception of Terseer Tersoo who was granted bail on health grounds having been operated upon and asked for a date for commencement of trial within trial.
Justice Elizabeth Kpojime, agreed with the prosecuting counsel, ruling that the 2nd and 3rd accused persons, Jinjingi and Uhentsev, were to be remanded in prison custody before adjourning the case to April 10, 2017 for further hearing and continuation of trial within trial.