A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt, has acquitted and discharged a senior lecturer in the Rivers State University, Professor David Ogbonna, who was standing trial for alleged unlawful and indecent assault on a female student by inserting his penis in her vagina in his office in the University campus.
The State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), of the Rivers State Police command, had on June 28, 2022 arraigned Ogbonna before the court on one count charge of unlawful and indecent assault against a 21-year-old female student of the university.
Delivering judgement on the matter yesterday, Chief Magistrate Poromon Menenen, said the prosecution team failed to prove their case.
Menenen stated that the phone the female student claimed she used in recording Professor 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 also tendered in the course of the trial.
Menenen further 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 the prosecution team failed to call the health worker, who conducted medical examination on the female student to come and testify.
The court said the prosecution team also failed to provide one Chidinma, who the female student claimed left her and the professor in the lecturer’s office after both of them came to his office, to testify.
Chief Magistrate Menenen maintained that there is no substantial evidence to prove the case of unlawful and indecent assault against Professor David Ogbonna.
He subsequently ruled that the professor is discharged and acquitted.
Outside the courtroom, counsel to Ogbonna, Dr. Emma Okah, said the defence team knew the case would go the way it went because there was no evidence from day one.
