INJUSTICE: How Abuja Police, ASP Prince Akhindenor, Connived with Karu Nasarawa Magistrate Court, Charges Young Girl for Criminal Offences for Refusing to Marry Him

• Defendant forced to pay One Hundred and Twenty-Five Thousand Naira in Cash for Bail;
• The Court Breached Nasarawa State Law – Female Lawyer

An Abuja Assistant Superintendent of Police, Prince Akhindenor has charged a young girl, Miss Gloria Benjamin, to the Chief Magistrate Court “Upper” of Nasarawa State at Ado New Karu Nasarawa State, Near Abuja for refusing to agree to his proposal to marry her.

In what seems like a connivance with the Magistrate Court officials, ASP Akhindenor filed a direct Criminal Complaint against the young girl who is a POS Operator for refusing to marry him and accused the girl of Fraud, Cheating, Criminal Breach of trust and Criminal Intimidation.

According to the Court documents obtained by Lawblogng.com, the complaint was filed on the 16th of November 2023 by the Assistant Inspector of Police. In the Complaint, the ASP stated that he lent Miss Benjamin some money in the hope that she will marry him. He also stated that he bought her a piece of furniture and a sewing machine in his attempt to convince her to marry him. The ASP also claimed that Miss Benjamin insulted her when he requested his gifts and money back leaving him no choice but to charge the young girl to court.

DEFENDANT ARRESTED BY COURT OFFICIALS, ARRAIGNED IN MAGISTRATE’S OFFICE WITHOUT A LAWYER AND FORCED TO PAY BAIL OF N 125,000.00 IN CASH.

Narrating her ordeal to Lawblogng.com in tears, the defendant Miss Gloria Benjamin told Lawblogng.com that she was in her Shop on Thursday 16th of November 2023 near Muhamadu Buhari International Market Nasarawa, when court officials came with a police officer and a lawyer, Barrister Titus Ekpo to arrest her. They  informed her that the court has summoned her immediately and she must follow them to court.

According to her, she pleaded with them to allow her call her relations to notify them of her whereabouts but they refused and insisted that she must follow them immediately to court. According to her, when they arrived at the court, they informed her that she is standing trial for crimes she committed against ASP Akhindenor and gave her a copy of the charge.

She tried to explain to them that she did not do anything wrong to the ASP but nobody listened to her. When she requested that they allow her to get a lawyer to help her, they informed her that she can only get a lawyer in the court premises. According to Miss Benjamin, the only Lawyer in court at that time was Barrister Titus Ekpo who was representing the complainant, ASP Akhindenor.

The Registrar of the Court, Mr Ahmed Doma and the Clerk, Mr Ishaku Tanko advised her to beg Barrister Ekpo for help and she did. Barrister Ekpo promised to help her even though he was the one that brought the Charge against her.

According to Miss Benjamin, even though the complainant was not around, the court officials took her to the office of the Magistrate who asked her if she is guilty of the Charges but she answered “not guilty”. The Magistrate told her that he has granted her One million Naira bail but if she cannot meet up with the bail, she will be taken to Keffi Prison.

The traumatized Miss Benjamin revealed that when the court officials brought her out of the Magistrate’s office, the Court Registrar asked her to provide the One million Naira cash for Bail but She informed the Registrar that she has no way of raising such money. The Registrar told her that he will help her if she can bring N750,000 in cash but she could not bring the money.

The Registrar later reduced the money to N500,000 and then to N300,000 and Miss Benjamin couldn’t still provide the money. The court officials informed her that she should prepare for Prison since she is not serious.

According to Miss Benjamin, after a long while, the Court Officials asked her to provide the sum of One Hundred Thousand in cash for Bail and Twenty Five Thousand Naira in cash for the bail bond and a surety which she was able to bring. The Registrar also asked her to pay Five Thousand Naira to the Complainant’s lawyer, Barrister Ekpo for helping her avoid prison, and she did.

It was after the total cash payment of One Hundred and Thirty Thousand Naira (N130,000.00) that they allowed her to go and adjourned the case to 27th Day of November 2023.

Miss Benjamin told LawblogNG.com that she knew ASP Akhindenor as one of her POS customers and they became friendly and close after sometime. She revealed that the ASP gave her some gift out of his own volition.

Trouble however started for her when she rejected the proposal of the police officer to marry her because according to her, the ASP is prone to uncontrollable and violent anger. The police officer pleaded with her for sometime to reconsider but when she insisted that “NO” is her final answer, he became very violent and threatened to deal with her.

According to Miss Benjamin, few weeks before her Magistrate Court ordeal on 16th November, ASP Akhindenor came to her POS shop and tried initiating a conversation with her but her refusal to respond to him enraged him and he violently assaulted her and seized her Tecno Camon phone. Miss Benjamin stated that in her attempt to avoid the police officer’s troubles, she abandoned her phone with him and welcomed back her sim card from her network operator. This further made the police officer more angry. She lamented her fate and revealed she is traumatized with sleepless nights and feel helpless against the powerful ASP.

THE COURT BREACHED NASARAWA STATE LAW IN MISS BENJAMIN CASE – LAWYER

A Female Nigerian Lawyer who spoke to Lawblogng.com on the condition of anonymity stated the the procedure adopted by the court in the case of miss Benjamin is illegal and suspicious.

According to her, the arrest and trial of Miss Benjamin on the same day the complaint was filed in court is against section 117 of the Nasarawa State Law for the Administration of Criminal Justice 2019 which stipulated that a proper summons containing the exact charges against a Defendant Must be served on the Defendant and two days minimum be given to the Defendant to answer the Charges.

According to her, It is illegal for the Magistrate to have tried the helpless Defendant on the same day the complaint was filed and served on her.

She further stated that it was also illegal for the Complainant’s Lawyer, in connivance with court officials to have “arrested” and dragged the Defendant to the court on the same day she was served with the complaint without allowing her get a lawyer to defend her.

She advised Miss Benjamin to get her own lawyer and challenge the case against her as she has suffered injustice already.

The case is coming up on 27th November 2023 and Lawblogng.com will report further details about the case.

SEE THE CHARGE AGAINST MISS GLORIA BENJAMIN