A Family Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered the remand of the father of a five-year-old girl, who was allegedly defiled by one Bright Chukwuma, at the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre over alleged conspiracy.
The victim’s father was remanded on Tuesday after he appeared in court through his lawyer to inform the court that he had reached a settlement with the suspect and was seeking the discontinuation of the case.
Chukwuma is standing trial on a one-count charge for allegedly having unlawful sexual intercourse with a five-year-old girl on April 11, 2025, at Odagwa community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The suspect, Chukwuma, has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The offence contravenes Section 32, subsections (1) and (2) of the Rivers State Child Rights Law No. 6 of 2002.
The application by the victim’s father did not sit well with the presiding judge, Justice Rita Oguguo, who suspected that the father might have conspired with the accused through a financial settlement, without considering the welfare and future of the child.
Justice Oguguo therefore ordered that the father of the victim be remanded in prison and brought back to court on the next adjourned date, November 11, to explain the nature of the alleged settlement in such a serious case.
