BY PHILIP EKE YENAGOA
The victim in the alleged rape trial of Chief Richard Kpodo, a former Security Adviser to Ex-Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa on Friday testified before a Bayelsa High Court giving vivid accounts of how she was sexually abused.
The 26 year old (name withheld) testified alongside her Uncle and a medical doctor who examined her on June 9 after she was allegedly raped the previous day.
In her testimony to the court, the victim said that she was invited by the accused to his office in the hotel at about 8 pm where he locked the doors and forcefully overpowered her and raped her.
According to her Kpodo had threatened her that he was the brain behind the ‘Fanmutangbe Security Outfit’ under former governor Sylva and advised her to give in to his demands
The victim who narrated her experience before the curt broke into tears and subsequently compelled the judge to suspend the hearing twice to enable the victim regain composure.
She said that the accused had been making indecent sexual approaches before the incident occurred.
“I was employed as a cashier and whenever I go to submit cash to him he touches me and I reported it to the employment agency that helped me get the job, and they advised me to talk to him to stop it.
“I talked to him that it is a sin, he stopped for some time and he started again, that day he locked up the door and forcefully had sex, I shouted and also pleaded and he said he would not leave me until he was satisfied.
“So when he finished, he asked me to clean myself and bring his food, he did not use a condom and I was injured, he removed my trousers and I kept struggling with him until he finished.
“I called my uncle who is a policeman and he came and took me home, the next day we went to report to Police and they gave me a medical report form which I took to hospital.
“The hospital conducted HIV test on me and prescribed some drugs which I have taken” she said amidst sobs.It would be recalled that Kpodo, was on July 31, 2018 arranged for alleged rape at State High Court 7 in Yenagoa
Kpodo was charged on two counts of unlawful detention and rape of the victim, a 26 year old female cashier at the hotel run by the accused
At the resumed trial of the rape case, the trial judge, Justice E Eradiri listened to the testimony of a medical practitioner who examined the victim after she was allegedly raped.
Dr Ikenna Nwanna, a medical practitioner from the Diete Koko Memorial Hospital, Opolo, Yenagoa told the court that the patient complained of pains in her pubic are and walked with difficulty when she came to the clinic on June 9, 2018.
“The patient complained that she was raped by her boss and I examined her in the presence of a female nurse and there were bruises in her vulva and due to the pains she did not allow me to touch her vaginal area.
“There were also whitish discharge which I suspect to be semen although did not conduct any further tests, the observations tallies with the complain of violence sexual assault” Nwanna said.
The defence counsel in the rape trial Julius Iyekoroghe cross examined the three witnesses.
The prosecuting counsel Mr Samuel Arthur sought an adjournment to enable him call two more witnesses to testify in the case.
The defence counsel who alleged that he was being intimidated by the prosecuting counsel informed the court that the prosecution had denied his counsel access to medical care against to order of the court.
Reacting to the allegation, the judge, Justice E. Eradiri directed that his earlier order granting access to medical care to the accused be complied with.
“There is a subsisting order on granting the accused acess to medical services at a government hospital, my order must be complied with and I want the prosecution to ensure that the orders of this court are obeyed,” Eradiri .
He adjourned the case to October to listen to the two additional witnesses called by the prosecution.
