Martins Owerem of the Nigerian Air Force has been dismissed from the force by a court martial after he was found guilty of raping a 14-year-old Internally Displaced Person (IDP).
Owerem was said to have arrested three girls while he was officer in charge of special force battalion near Bakassi IDP camp in 2018, claiming they had wandered into a restricted area. He then took one of them into the bush and had forced sex with her.
Thereafter, the convict was charged with defilement, assault and disobedient to standing order.
Aminu Mairuwa, the prosecution counsel, had told the court that the convict was on patrol at Kawon Jiya community in the outskirts of Maiduguri, Borno State capital, when he committed the act.
However, Abbas Abba, defense counsel, sought for leniency for the convict “in view of his selfless service and contributions in the counter insurgency campaign.”
In his ruling, Yakubu Auta, president of the court, held that the court found Owerem guilty on the two count charges of rape and assault.
He added that the court also found the officer guilty on the first and second-count charge, while it discharged and acquitted him on the third-count charge.
Auta held that the prosecution, through five witnesses and four exhibits, have proved their case beyond reasonable doubts.
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