Tony Osauzo, Benin
A Benin High Court has ordered three persons to be remanded in prison custody for alleged abduction and insertion of raw pepper into the vagina of one Favour, Ada Friday, whom they accused of stealing a phone.
The three persons included the head of a vigilance group in Ugbiyoko community, Mr. Lucky Igbinovia, popularly known as One Man squad, Joel Otoghile, and Iyamu Kingsley.
The order for their remand followed their arraignment on a14-count charge bothering on unlawful attempt to kill, kidnapping, attempted murder, unlawful administering of noxious substance into the vagina of Ada and unlawful trial by ordeal.
Other charges included indecent assault, extortion by threat, publication of defamatory matters, false accusation, stripping of Ada naked and recording the scene on video.
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Prosecuting Counsel, Peter Ugwumba, urged the presiding judge, Justice J. Acha, to remand the suspects in prison custody pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecution.
Ugwumba told the court that investigations showed that no phone was missing, that the claim of a missing phone was conceived to extort money from the victim.
He also told the court that a native doctor yet to be arrested magically inserted two live bullets into the body of Ada, saying that she would die if she refused to confess.
After listening to the submission of the Prosecution Counsel, Justice Acha remanded the suspects in prison and adjourned the case to March 6, 2019.
He also ordered the prosecution to produce other suspects at large in court, especially the magician/native doctor that pointed Ada as the person who stole the phone belonging to Joel.