A 36-year-old mechanic, Chukwudi Okafor, has been arraigned before the Anambra State Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Offences Unit (CSGBVU) in Awka for allegedly defiling a 14-year-old girl in Junior Secondary School (JSS-3).
Okafor appeared on a one-count charge of defilement, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Giving insight into the case, the prosecutor, Insp Chinyere Okechukwu, told the court that the defendant, a native of Mmiata Anam in Anambra West Local Government Area, committed the offence sometime in April 2025 at Aguleri community in Anambra East LGA.
She said: “The defendant took the 14-year-old girl to a hotel in Aguleri, where he sexually assaulted her. In the process, she sustained a fracture to her left leg, which caused her to cry out and attracted the attention of the hotel management.
“The hotel management alerted the community vigilance group, who initially took the accused into custody, but he later escaped.
“However, on April 27, 2026, the girl’s mother spotted him within the community and alerted the police, leading to his arrest.”
The prosecutor noted that the offence is punishable under Section 3(2) of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition and Protection Law of Anambra State of Nigeria, 2017.
She prayed the court to remand the suspect at a correctional facility as stipulated under Section 130(2)(a)(b) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2022.
In his defence, the accused told the court that the girl was his girlfriend, who visited him and had claimed to be 19 years old and in JSS-3.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs U.E. Onochie, adjourned the case to June 10, 2026, for hearing and ordered that the accused be remanded at the Awka Correctional Facility.
