Man, 40, arraigned for raping handicapped pupil

The Osun State Police Command has arraigned a 40-year-old man, Kamoru Shittu, for allegedly raping a physically-challenged pupil.

According to a charge sheet obtained by our correspondent, Shittu was accused of raping the pupil, who is deaf and dumb, on the premises of the Osun State Secondary School for Persons with Special Needs, Osogbo, at about 10pm on March 7, 2016.

The accused was arraigned on two counts of rape and assault.

The charge sheet read in part, “That you, Kamoru Shittu, aged 40, on March 7, 2016, at about 10pm, at the State of Osun Secondary School for Persons with Special Needs, Osogbo, did have unlawful carnal knowledge of one female, ( name withheld) aged 21, a deaf and dumb student of the school.

“That you, Kamoru Shittu, on the same date and place did unlawfully and indecently assault the victim,”

The police prosecutor, Mr. Mereti Wilson, told the court that the accused acted contrary to Section 357 and was punishable under Sections 358 and 360 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, vol. II, Law of Osun State of Nigeria, 2003.

 Shittu, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges and his counsel, Bola Ige, applied for his bail, arguing that the constitution presumed him innocent until the contrary was proved.

The magistrate, Mrs. A. A. Olowolagba, admitted the accused to bail in the sum of N500,000, with two sureties in the same amount.

She ruled that the one of the sureties must be a civil servant on grade level 08 and above, while the other one must be a resident within the court’s jurisdiction.

She added that the sureties must possess three years tax clearance certificates while the addresses of the sureties must be verified by the police prosecutor.

The case was adjourned till May 19, 2016.