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Stephanie Okereke’s brother, Daniel charged to court over rape allegation

– Case adjourned to January 9, 2015

The world of 23-year-old Arinola (a computer science student of University of Lagos, UNILAG), Yaba, Lagos came crashing down on November 6, 2014 when she was allegedly raped by Daniel Okereke (37), a business man brother of screen diva, Stephanie Okereke-Linus, with the help of his security aides.
The ugly incident has thrown up a lot of dust with many clamouring for his immediate prosecution and imprisonment, while others have taken to social media to condemn the act in its entirety.
ENCOMIUM Weekly, here, brings you the latest on the case…

 Stephanie Okereke-Linus
Stephanie Okereke-Linus

How the pair met
300-level undergraduate, Arinola met Daniel online in October this year. In her words: “We became friends online and I gave him my number”. She continued: He kept calling requesting to see me in school and I kept giving him one excuse or the other. He actually said that he wanted me to be his friend and I declined that I am a student and should be allowed to face my studies”.

What happened on that fateful day
On November 6, 2014, Daniel visited an ailing Arinola, who managed to attend lectures, in her school. When he arrived and saw she was ill, he offered to take her to a pharmaceutical store around Akoka to get some drugs. He then reportedly took her to an eatery so that she could eat before taking the drugs. Thereafter, he reportedly took her to his residence at Mende, Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos where he allegedly raped her.
In her words while speaking to police: “Immediately we entered the room, he secured the door and I had supper and later asked to be taken back.
But he said he must have sex with me. I tried to appeal to him to consider my state of health and take me back to campus. Before I knew what was happening, he started beating me, forcing to have his way. As if that was not enough, he called in seven guards in the compound who assisted him and tied me down. He thereafter, went into his kitchen and brought out a knife, threatening to kill me if I resisted. He took me to one of the rooms where he brought out a condom and raped me”.
She continued: “He raped me severally till he was satisfied. He later removed the ropes and ordered me to get out of his house. I was in pains”.

How the police got involved in the case
After Arinola was untied following her ordeal she became violent, destroying his property, which she admitted to saying: “I needed to destroy anything within reach”. In her rage, one of the objects she allegedly threw out of the window, landed on a vehicle belonging to one of the tenants, smashing its windshield.
The case was reported at Area ‘F’ Ikeja by neighbours, which led to the arrest of Okereke.
During interrogation, he reportedly claimed to be a cousin to top Nollywood actress, Stephanie Okereke-Linus. He was said to have been released on bail. The case was thereafter transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba, Lagos where Okereke was rearrested.
Other victims allege that accused has raped them
Other ladies have come out to claim they were also rape victims of the accused. Although they spoke anonymously, they gave vivid descriptions of their experiences in the hands of a ‘beast’, according to one of them.The latest on the case
Okereke was charged to court on Thursday, November 20. Also charged was Idris Abubakar, the security guard who allegedly assisted Okereke to tie up the victim. He is an alleged accomplice.
Both men were Friday, November 21, arraigned before a Yaba Chief Magistrate’s Court, over a five count charge bordering on conspiracy, assault, rape and threat to life.
The police prosecutor, Superintendent Godwin Anyanwu, told the court that the defendants committed the alleged offence on November 6, 2014. He said that the incident took place at Mende, Maryland in Ikeja area of Lagos state between 2:30-11pm.
He said that the first defendant (Okereke) allegedly raped and assaulted one lady. Anyanwu also claimed that the defendant unlawfully had canal knowledge of the victim without her consent, adding that he beat her up with a brown belt and also threatened her with a knife.
He added that the offences committed contravened sections 409, 171, 261 and punishable under section 56 and 258 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. Magistrate Aje-Afunwa, granted the first defendant bail in the sum of N200,000 with one responsible surety in like sum, while the second defendant was admitted bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety in like sum.
She also said that the surety must either be a relative, a cleric or a community leader. The matter was adjourned to January 9, 2015, for trial.

What the law says about rape
Section 258 (1) of the Lagos State law stipulates thus: “any man who has unlawful sexual intercourse with a woman or girl, without her consent, is guilty of the offence of rape and liable to imprisonment for life”.
If Prince Daniel is, on the other hand, found guilty of attempted rape, he faces up to 14 years imprisonment, that’s according to section 260, which states that any person attempts to commit the offence of rape or sexualt assault by penetration is liable to a 14 year jail term.
Further investigations are, however, still ongoing as confirmed by the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), DSP Kenneth Nwosu when ENCOMIUM Weekly called him on December 1, 2014. The police spokesman added that the investigations will continue pending when the matter will be heard in court.

– MICHAEL NWOKIKE

Encomium

Written by Encomium

A media, tech and events company.

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