APC Chieftain Lands In Court For Raping A Girl In Hotel

Chief Perekeme Richard Kpodo, the former Security Adviser to the Bayelsa State Government, has been accused of rape and unlawful detention of one Miss Teke Blessing in his hotel in Etegwe, Yenagoa, Bayelsa.

The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa state, was arraigned at the Yenagoa magistrate court earlier on Friday.

Mr Kpodo was alleged to have raped miss Blessing Teke on the 20th of June 2018 at his Perry Rich hotel

The accused was charged with unlawfully detaining one Teke Blessing on June 20 at Etegwe, Yenagoa, with an intention to defile her.

NAN reports that he was also charged with raping the said Blessing on the same day.

However, the accused pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge.

His counsel, Funilaifa Seibokuro, urged the court to grant the accused bail, which was opposed by the prosecuting counsel, Ayibatonye Jumbo.

Seibokuro said that the offence for which Kpodo was arraigned was a bailable one, and assured that his client, a well-known politician, would be available to face trial.

He also said that Kpodo had medical challenges and pleaded that he should be granted bail on self-recognition.

The prosecuting counsel, in opposing, said that if granted bail, the accused would interfere and influence the prosecution witness and, hence, jeopardise his trial.

He also faulted the claim by the defence counsel that the accused had a medical challenge as there was no medical report to support it.

The court presided over by Mrs E.T.M. Ere, adjourned the case until August 10 for ruling on the bail application and ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.