Court Frees University Don Accused of Assaulting Female Student in Rivers

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State has discharged and acquitted Professor David Ogbonna of the Rivers State University who was standing trial for alleged unlawful and indecent assault on a female student of the institution.

The university don was said to have committed the alleged crime in his office at the university campus.

The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Port Harcourt, had on June 28, 2022 arraigned Prof. Ogbonna before the court on one count charge of unlawful and indecent assault against a 21 year female student of the institution.

On his appearance in court, Ogbonna pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Meanwhile, in his judgment on the matter yesterday, the presiding Chief Magistrate, Poromon Menenen, said that the prosecution team failed to prove their case.

Menenen ruled that the phone the female student claimed she used in recording the accused discussion with her on the day of the alleged incident was never tendered as exhibit during the cause of the trial.

The magistrate also stated that the disc the female student claimed she transferred the recording to, was not tendered in the course of the trial.

Also, the magistrate stated that the underwear the female student claimed had a semen stain after she was allegedly unlawfully assaulted was not subjected to a forensic examination of any kind and that the prosecution team failed to call the health worker who conducted medical examination on the said victim to testify in court.

The magistrate continued that the prosecution team failed to provide ‘Chidinma’ to testify who the female student claimed left her and the professor in the lecturer’s office after both of them came to his office.

Menene maintained in his ruling that there was no substantial evidence to prove the case of unlawful and indecent assault against the accused and therefore discharged and acquitted him from the crime.

One of the defence counsels, Mr. Emma Okah, who spoke with journalists immediately after the judgment outside the courtroom, said the defence (Ogbonna) team knew the case would go the way it went because there was no evidence against him from the beginning of the matter.

THISDAY observed that the prosecuting counsel, G. U. Amana, who represented Rivers State Ministry of Justice in the matter, declined comment when journalists approached him to react on the judgment, not in their favour.