A 28-year old man, Olaolu Akorede, who claimed to be a film producer, has been arrested by the police from Area 'J' Command, Ajah, Lagos for allegedly procuring harmful herbal liquid from a native doctor for his lover, Halimat, to drink for the treatment of diabetes which later allegedly caused the death of the unborn baby in her womb and damaged her Fallopian tube, according to doctors' report.
The arrest of the suspect was ordered by the Area Commander in charge of Area J Command following a petition by Halimat through her counsel in the Chamber of Bislaw Legal Practitioners.
Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the suspect to the police, Halimat said: "I met the suspect in New York, United States of America in November, 2016 while both of them were on vacation and began a relationship.
"When I came back to Nigeria, I noticed that I was pregnant and I called the suspect, who was still in the USA about the development and he was very happy on the phone. He begged me to keep the pregnancy till he comes back to Nigeria for us to wed. He requested for a return ticket to come back to Nigeria and I used N400,000.00 to purchase a return ticket for him.
"When he came back to Nigeria, he collected the sum of N2.5 million from me to organize our wedding but instead, he went to Abeokuta, Ogun State, to meet a native doctor who prepared a herbal liquid for him which he claimed was for treatment of diabetes. He convinced me to drink from the liquid and because I did not suspect anything, I drank from it, unknown to me that it was to abort my pregnancy or kill me.
"And after drinking the liquid, I began stooling blood and ended up in the hospital. Doctors later performed surgery on me and discovered that the herbal liquid had killed my unborn baby in my womb and affected my Fallopian tube. I am now appealing to the police to assist me to get justice" Halima stated.
In his defense, Akorede denied almost all the allegations made by the complainant but admitted that he procured herbal liquid for her to treat her diabetes.
Akorede was arraigned before an Igbosere Magistrate Court on four-count charge of obtaining N2.5 million under false pretense, procuring unknown herbal liquid for Halimat to terminate her pregnancy and maliciously administering poison on Halimat which caused the death of unborn baby in her womb.
Police prosecutor, Inspector Okete Ejima, told the court in charge No. S/25/2017 that the accused intentionally procured the harmful liquid for the complainant to kill her and the unborn child.
He said the offences the accused committed were punishable under sections 314, 147, 243 and 216 of the criminal laws of Lagos State, 2015.
The accused, however, pleaded not guilty the Magistrate, Mrs. O. O. Otitoju granted him bail in the sum of N200,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Otitoju adjourned the case till 12 July, 2017 for mention while the defendant was taken to Ikoyi prison, Lagos pending when he would be able to fulfill his bail conditions.
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