Homosexuality: Court discharges corps members without merit

An Ibadan Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Iyaganku on Tuesday discharged two corps members charged with engaging in oral sex with one of their male students.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs. Kehinde Durosaro-Tijani, said the two accused, Daniel O’ Tega and Sulaiman Abari, were discharged but not on merit.

Durosaro-Tijani said, “This is based on the withdrawal letter and affidavit deposed to by the father of the victim.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that this followed the withdrawal of the case by the victim’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hammed Sulaimon, of 65, Avenue Street, behind Grammar School, Molete, Ibadan.

In the affidavit, father of the victim, said he had forgiven one of the accused, Sulaiman, whose father, Mr. Dauda Abari, intervened in the matter.

The father of the victim told the court that the guardian of O’Tega, the other accused person, Mr. Michael Edewhosa, also intervened in the matter.

Sulaiman, a graduate of Lagos State University, Ojo, and O’tega were serving at St. Louis Secondary School 2, Molete, Ibadan.

The prosecutor, Inspector  Oluyemi Eyiaromi, had told the court that the two accused persons conspired to commit the offence.

Eyiaromi said O’tega took the male student to a room, laid him on a bed, caressed and sucked his manhood until he ejaculated.

He also said that Abari committed the same offence on the victim in November 2013 at Osungbade, Odo-Oba area of Ibadan.

Eyiaromi said the offences contravened sections 217 and 516 (A) of the Criminal Code Cap.38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000.