Six students of a South-Western university, who allegedly gang-raped a 17-year-old female colleague, were yesterday granted reprieve by a Surulere chief magistrate’s court in Lagos.They were released on a N9 million bail.

The accused — Simeon Omowole, 18; Randy Chukka, 17; Samuel Oyefara, 18; Peter Adeboyega, 17; Chuka Chukwu, 19; and Peace Nwakanma, 18 (a female) — pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, rape and sexual harassment.

The prosecutor, Sergeant Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the offences were committed sometime in January. She alleged that the accused, with another man still at large, conspired and raped a 17-year-old fellow student.

Osayande said that Nwakanma, the only female among the accused persons, was the one that lured the girl to where she was raped. She said: “The six students sexually harassed the girl with video clips in order to intimidate her.

They all had sexual intercourse with the 17-year-old without her consent.” The offences contravened Sections 137, 140, 260 (2), 264 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (revised).” The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A. Ipaye-Nwachukwu, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500,000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.

Ipaye said one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused, while the second should be a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 14. She also directed the sureties to provide an evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government and adjourned the case to May 18, pending advice from the state’s Director of Public Prosecutions, DPP.