In a Wuse Zone II Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, the police brought charges against a 20-year-old man, Onoja Kingsley, for allegedly making false claims that his genitals had “disappeared.” Kingsley, whose address is unknown, is facing charges of engaging in a joint act, causing severe harm, attempting culpable homicide, theft, and providing false information to the public.

However, he entered a plea of not guilty to the charges brought against him by the police. The prosecuting counsel, E.A. Inegbenoise, informed the court that the case had been reported by Ndifreke Ebong from Gaduwa Estate, Abuja, on October 7th.

Inegbenoise explained that the complainant, along with some fellow church members, was distributing flyers in preparation for their Sunday service in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He further detailed that the complainant innocently handed a copy of the flyer to the defendant, who was in the company of other members of his group (who are currently at large) near AP Filling Station at approximately 6:30 pm.

“The defendant then unlawfully and falsely accused the complaint of stealing his manhood.

“The complainant was beaten and stabbed with all kinds of dangerous weapons by members of the defendant’s gang which they later ran away and he was apprehended.

“As a result of the beating, the complainant sustained some degree of injuries, ” he said.

The prosecutor also mentioned that during the incident, the complainant’s mobile phone, valued at N500,000, and his wallet containing important documents were stolen from him. Furthermore, he stated that during police interrogation, the defendant revealed that his alleged “disappeared manhood” had returned and was functioning normally.

The prosecutor pointed out that the charges against the defendant violated the provisions of sections 80, 248, 229, 287, and 178 of the Penal Code. He also raised objections to the defendant’s bail, citing the absence of a verifiable address for the defendant. He argued that granting bail could hinder ongoing police investigations and the apprehension of other individuals from the defendant’s group who were still at large.

However, the magistrate, Abba Bello, asserted that “bail is at the discretion of the court and shall be exercised judiciously.” The Magistrate then granted the defendant bail in the amount of N1 million, with a surety who must provide an equal sum and reside within the court’s jurisdiction. Additionally, the Magistrate ordered that the surety’s address be verified by both the prosecutor and the court’s registrar before the defendant could be released.

The case has been adjourned until November 20th for further proceedings.