Doctor arraigned for allegedly killing pregnant woman during abortion

The judge ordered the case transferred to a superior court.

A Yaba Magistrate’s Court in Lagos on Monday held that a 35-year-old Medical Doctor, Edeye Monday, had a case to answer over his alleged murder of a 22-year-old pregnant woman, Tolani Aderoju.

The Police Prosecutor, Godwin Anyanwun, while arraigning Mr. Monday in court on July 31, 2012, said the accused on May 29, 2012, injected Ms. Aderoju with some unknown drugs, while attempting to abort her pregnancy.

The prosecutor had told the court that Ms. Aderoju’s mother, in her complaint, said her daughter had informed her that she was pregnant for one Mufutau Alonge.

She said that Mr. Alonge had taken her daughter to Monday’s private clinic for an abortion.

According to the prosecutor, the accused, after injecting Ms. Aderoju with drugs, but could not terminate the pregnancy, rushed her to another hospital, where she died.

Mr. Anyanwun, a police inspector, said that the offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011, and that the penalty was the death sentence.

But the court adjourned the matter till Nov. 25 to await the advice of the State Director of Public Prosecution’s (DPP) on the matter, while it ordered that the accused be remanded in prison custody.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, the Magistrate, Adekorede Ajibade, said: “a murder case has been established against the accused.”

“Consequently, his case will be transferred to a court of superior record”.

She said that legal advice from the DPP had established a prima facie case of unlawful killing against the accused.

Ms. Ajibade consequently ordered that the case file be transferred to the High Court, for trial.

(NAN)