In Awka, the Children, Sexual and Gender-based Violence Court has set free Michael Arinze, a 20-year-old student who was facing trial for allegedly raping three young women in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra state.
Arinze, a second-year student at Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Igbariam, had been charged in July 2022. He pleaded not guilty to the eight counts of rape and armed robbery brought against him.
The prosecution argued that the crimes contravened Section 5 of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law of Anambra State 2017 and Section 347 of the Criminal Code Cap 36 Vol. II Revised Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991, as amended.
It was alleged that the defendant, who had spent 21 months in custody, forcefully raped and robbed three victims at gunpoint, two aged 21 and the other 22, of their mobile phones and money.
The prosecution claimed that the incidents occurred on April 5, July 8, and July 15, 2022.
Justice Peace Otti, in delivering the verdict, found the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses to be inconsistent.
She also noted that the prosecution’s evidence did not align with the defendant’s admission of guilt.
According to Otti, “No third-party witness corroborated the prosecution’s account, no medical professional testified to support the medical reports, and no medical documentation was presented as evidence.”
“In criminal cases, the court relies on credible and significant evidence, not assumptions,” she added.
“The defendant’s guilt was not conclusively proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Otti stated.
As a result, she declared the defendant not guilty and ordered his immediate release.