Azeez Folorunso, City Editor/
Contrary to an agreed norm of no bail for sexual offenders among Lagos judges, two men accused of drugging and raping a 24-year-old woman (name withheld) in Delankaster Hotel Lekki, Lagos have been granted bail.
Twenty-five-year-old Chima George and Olusegun Rasak were granted bail on July 31, by Justice Ganiyu Safari during Court annual vacation when he was a sitting judge.
This information which has been kept sealed from public because journalists were barred from the court when these two dropped out students of Babcock University, Ilisan -Remo, Ogun State were granted bail became public today when they made an application requesting that the file of the case be transferred from the Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court presided over by Justice Abiola Soladoye.
The request was made after the trial had commenced and the complainant had testified against the defendants – George and Rasak on May 15.
She has been cross-examined by the defence on May 15 and June 13.
George and Rasak were previously denied bail and ordered to be remanded in prison custody in a ruling delivered on April 29 by Justice Soladoye.
The court denied the defendants bail because they had not placed any compelling or exceptional circumstances to warrant the granting of bail.
Safari granted the defendants bail based on “new grounds” brought by the defence counsel, Ms Funmi Adeogun of the law chambers of Mr Tunji Ayanlaja (SAN).
During today’s proceedings Adeogun, had via a letter dated August 26, applied for a transfer of the case file from Justice Soladoye’s court.
The defence had applied for the transfer “in order to save the good trust of the courts and maintain a high order of fair hearing between parties”.
Reacting, Justice Soladoye said, “In view of the letter, we will order the transfer of the case file to the registry for further directive from the Chief Judge.”
The case was adjourned till November 26 to await the Chief Judge’s directives.
The prosecution led by Mr Akin George alleged that the defendants committed the offence on Feb. 3, from 5 a.m to 7 a.m at Delankaster Hotels, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos.
The complainant who is friends with George, one of the defendants went to a nightclub with the duo and a group of friends to celebrate George’s birthday.
While at the nightclub, the defendants allegedly mixed the complainant’s drink with a substance that allegedly rendered her unconscious moments later.
The prosecution alleges that they took the complainant to Delankaster hotel which is George’s father hotel, where they allegedly took turns to rape her while videotaping the sexual offence.
According to the prosecution, the offences contravened Sections 258 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
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