An Arabic Teacher, identified as Farouk Adam has been arraigned before an Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court,Lagos State for allegedly fingering his nine Islamic pupils, whose age range between seven to 13 years
Penpushing reports that, the accused is facing a nine-count- charge bordering on sexual assault, just as a witness, a Nurse who attended to the victims told the court that she conducted vagina examination on seven of them after their mothers brought them to Women At Risk Foundation (WARIF) centre on February 20, 2019.
The witness, Oluchi Nwoke-Okoi, a registered nurse and midwife, while being led in evidence on Monday by the state prosecutor, Olufunke Adegoke, said she was a staffer of Women At Risk Foundation (WARIF) and had 15 years’ experience in midwifery.
“The survivors and their mothers were brought to the centre by police officers. We took time to question each of the survivors and also conducted vagina examination on them. Seven of the survivors said that the defendant, who is their Arabic teacher, on several occasions, inserted his fingers into their vaginas’, she told the court.
“The eighth survivor said the defendant only touched her breast while the ninth survivor told us that she was afraid to attend the lslamic class after her sister told her that the defendant inserted his fingers into her vagina. Vagina examination was carried out on them. Based on their histories and the vagina examination, the result shows absence of hymen. Conclusion is suggestive of sexual assault of minor,” she said.
Penpushing further reports that, the witness who said she is license nurse and certified midwife told the court that the youngest of the survivors was seven years while the oldest was 13 years, explaining that the vagina examination she carried out on the victims are not outside her practice
“I have a license to practice as a registered and certified midwife and the vagina examination I carried out is not outside my practice. Laceration of the vagina means bruises, injuries or scars on the vagina. In some cases, when the vagina is tampered with, there may be laceration or not’, she stated
Penpushing also reports that during cross examination by defence counsel, A.O. Okonkwo, the witness said she was certified by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN), adding that vigorous scratching could not tamper with hymen.
“In the case of sexual assault, laceration can be seen when the survivor struggles or when penis, fingers or object is being forced into the vagina. In the same vein, hymen cannot be intact when the finger, penis or object is inserted into the vagina. It is not in my power to decide whose fingers penetrated the vaginas of the survivors and I disagree that scratching can tamper with hymen”, she said.
Penpushing reports that, the prosecutor told the court that the witness was the last prosecution witness in the case and prayed the court to order the defendant to open his defense.
The judge, Justice Abiola Soladoye adjourned the case until October 5, 2022 for the defendant to open his defense in the alleged offence which contravened Section 261 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, (2015).
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