Tony John, Port Harcourt
A Grade One Chief Magistrate’s Court 3, sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has remanded a 41-year-old man, Michael Akpan Isaiah, for unlawfully having carnal knowledge of his four biological daughters.
The victims (names withheld), were aged between two and 17 years old, though the two years old daughter was not mentioned in the charge number PMC/1077c/2018.
Isaiah, who was arraigned in court, on Thursday, on a three-count charge by the State Commissioner of Police, allegedly committed the crime in April and May, 2018, at Borokiri Sand field, Port Harcourt.
He admitted to the crime, adding that on each occasion, he did not know what overcame him.
The offence committed by Isaiah is punishable under Sections 358 and 218 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37, Volume 11, Laws of Rivers State, 1999.
The trial Chief Magistrate, Zinnah Alikor, described Isaiah’s act as an abomination, wickedness and demonic.
Alikor expressed: “This is an abomination. It is a curse. Children you nurtured? This is wickedness. Your action is demonic”.
She said that the offence committed attracts life imprisonment on conviction, and declined jurisdiction to entertain the case.
Also, she said Police should deposit the original case file within seven days to be remitted to the Chief Registrar, for onward transmission to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), for legal advice.
Alikor further stated that the accused person has right to apply for his bail from the High Court, and adjourned the case sine dine, pending the outcome of DPP’s advice.
The Chief Magistrate told the Federation of International Female Lawyers (FIDA), who held brief for complainant’s counsel, that the victims required counselling for the trauma and psychological experiences they had passed through.
Speaking, FIDA counsel, Fortune Ndah, told the court that the accused person usually carried out the nefarious act after severe manhandling of the victims, which lasted for some years. The case was prosecuted by Inspector Onyishi Joshua.