Police Drags Taxi Driver To Court For Rape

The police in Enugu have dragged one Peter Eze, a taxi driver, to the Federal High Court sitting in Enugu for allegedly raping a student.

Eze was accused of raping the second-year student of the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, on May 5, 2012.

The state counsel, Mr Benjamin Ukwuani, said the victim boarded a taxi driven by Eze on the agreement that she be taken to Independence Layout, Enugu.

Ukwuani said the taxi driver took a different route and that when the victim complained, he brought out a gun and ordered her to keep quiet or lose her life.

He said the accused took the victim to an uncompleted building in Abakpa- Nike, Enugu, where he raped her.

“Luck ran out on the taxi driver when people living close to the building called the police as a result of the unusual noise emanating from it.

“The accused was arrested by the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force.

“To buttress my claim, we have in our custody the inner wears of the victim which were torn beyond recognition with splashes of blood all over.

“I therefore urged this honorable court to take this matter in its merits since the matter is straightforward and has no contentious issues,” he said.

The counsel to the accused, Mrs Clara Obayi, said her client was a taxi driver registered with the Enugu State Ministry of Transport.

She said her client received a call from his wife that his nine-month-old baby was seriously ill and he pleaded with his passenger to attend to the family and she granted it.

“He even begged her to take her money and look for another taxi but the victim told him that since he was going to Abakpa-Nike, she wanted to take advantage of it to see one of her cousins.

“When they arrived at the residence of the accused in Abakpa-Nike, it was observed that his baby was having a small fever contrary to his wife’s complaint,’’ she said.

The counsel said that a problem arose when the lady demand a refund of the fare she paid to the driver.

“In the course of their argument and misunderstanding, the police stormed the place and arrested my client beside an uncompleted building near his house.

“I see no reason why the victim should be refunded any money, since the distance from New Market to Abakpa is farther than from New Market to Independence Layout.

“The issue of rape is what is still confusing me. I am still confused and surprised on how a rape case was linked to a common roadside misunderstanding,” she said.

Justice  D.V.     Agis-hi adjourned the matter till Aug. 14 for further hearing and witnesses appearance.