Charles Okpara, a father of three and businessman at Ladipo market in Lagos arrested for defiling a Junior Secondary School girl has denied having canal knowledge of the teenager.

Okpara who is said to be a tenant of the girl’s father at Casso, Alagbado said he only played with the 15-yr-old girl.

According to Punch, the girl wanted to have a bath at the backyard on May 12, 2019, around 9 pm when the father of three went to the place and held her hostage.

It was reported that the 35-yr-old man covered the girl’s mouth and forcefully had sex with her.

He was also said to have threatened to kill the girl if she informed anybody about the incident.

When the girl’s father, Segun woke up in the midnight and saw blood dripping from his daughter’s leg, she reportedly lied that she was on her periods.

Six days later, Okpara whose wife and children had traveled at the time reportedly had sex again with the girl and restated his threat of killing her if she dares tell anyone about it.

However, following a claim by a neighbour that Okpara was HIV positive, the girl opened up to her father about the incident.

The case was reported at the Alagbado Police Division and Okpara was arrested.

Narrating her ordeal to the police, the girl said she was overpowered on the two occasions Okpara defiled her.

She said, “I wanted to have my bath at the bathroom in our backyard when I suddenly saw Mr Okpara by my side. He covered my mouth with a towel he was holding and pushed me on a chair at the backyard.

“He ‘slept’ with me. I tried to shout because it hurt a lot, but nobody could hear me as a result of the towel he used to cover my mouth. After he ‘slept’ with me, he told me not to tell anybody and threatened to kill me if I did. The second time he had sex with me was on Sunday, May 19, also at the backyard. He covered my mouth with his hand.”

However, in his statement, Okapra denied having sex with the girl. He said he only had a romance with her, adding that he gave her N500 after fondling her.

He said, “I do business at Ladipo Market. I have a wife and three children but they have travelled to the East. I only played with her on that day (May 12) at the backyard. I ‘romanced’ her, but I did not have sex with her. I didn’t threaten her not to tell anybody what happened between us.

“I gave her N500 after I finished ‘romancing’ her because she said she was hungry. On May 19 when I came back from work, a co-tenant accused me of molesting children and I explained to him that I only ‘romanced’ the girl. It was only once I ‘romanced’ her. I did it because she laughed whenever I called her my wife.”

Okpara has however been brought before an Ogba Magistrates’ Court on one count of defilement.

The prosecuting officer, Ben Emuerhi reportedly told the court that the offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 and tendered a remand application.

The charge reads in part, reportedly told the court “That you, Charles Okpara, 34, on May 12, 2019, at about 9.30pm at Casso Alagbado, Lagos, in the Ikeja Magisterial District, did defile a 15-year-old girl by having sexual intercourse with her.”

The presiding Chief Magistrate, Mrs O. Sule-Amzat said Okpara should be remanded in prison custody while the case file is forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for advice.