EXCLUSIVE: Alleged rape: I'm innocent, my accuser was manipulated - Actor, Moses Armstrong
Beleaguered Nollywood actor Moses Armstrong has again insisted he is not a rapist.
The actor is accused of raping a minor, an allegation he has vehemently denied.
In June 2022, Mr. Armstrong was indicted for “rape” and “threat to life”.
He was prosecuted for allegedly raping a minor - a teenage girl he adopted who lives with his (Mr. Armstrong's) family.
The actor was first arraigned in a magistrate's court in Uyo on June 17, but the case was dropped after the magistrate, Samuel Ukoima, ruled that the case had no not been correctly classified.
Mr. Armstrong was also charged with rape, intimidation, conspiracy, and supplying drugs or instruments to have an abortion.
He pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
On Wednesday, the case against the actor resumed hearing in court where his accuser testified.
The matter was then adjourned to January 19, 2023.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, actor Emmanuel Pantaleon's lawyer called the case an attempted blackmail.
READ ALSO:According to Mr. Armstrong, who claimed to be innocent, his accuser lived with him for four years.
She then left the house on her own. She wanted to come back, but he refused.
He further stated that after two years away from home, she began the charges.
“My arrest and detention have affected my career in some ways. Before my arrest, I had four pending jobs, but by the time I was released, they had been given away. small,” he said.
He added that during his detention, the girl in question came to visit him crying.
“She said she pulled the case and that was not what they told her. It was obvious she was being manipulated,” he said.
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Moses ArmstrongThe actor, former assistant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom, has described his suspension by the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, as regrettable.
According to him, the Guild disavowed him out of bigotry.
“I saw my suspension as bigotry because I am not Igbo. If I was Igbo, things would have turned out differently. Two other AGN members who are Igbo had the same problem, but they weren't suspended.
"However, Rollas chose to issue a suspension even without hearing from me, without hearing from my lawyer or my manager. This was pure bigotry. This is a guild I served diligently at the over the past 23 years,” he said.
No speculationSpeaking to this newspaper, Mr. Armstrong's lawyer confirmed that the case had been opened for trial.
According to him, the Complainant testified halfway through before he was adjourned until January.
"We cannot speculate at this time. The matter is before the courts, so we are not authorized to comment.
"When the case resumes, there may be a possible cross-examination of the key witness," he said.
BackgroundIn August, after fulfilling his bail conditions, the actor was released from prison.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria suspended him over the rape allegation.
The Akwa Ibom state-born actor, who started his career 23 years ago, lost his wife, Rita, in 2018.
The mother-of-two was returning from Lagos to her husband's residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, when the bus she was traveling in crashed on the Ugbogui axis of the Benin highway Ore Lagos.
Rita, a Nollywood actress, has died of a spinal injury...
Beleaguered Nollywood actor Moses Armstrong has again insisted he is not a rapist.
The actor is accused of raping a minor, an allegation he has vehemently denied.
In June 2022, Mr. Armstrong was indicted for “rape” and “threat to life”.
He was prosecuted for allegedly raping a minor - a teenage girl he adopted who lives with his (Mr. Armstrong's) family.
The actor was first arraigned in a magistrate's court in Uyo on June 17, but the case was dropped after the magistrate, Samuel Ukoima, ruled that the case had no not been correctly classified.
Mr. Armstrong was also charged with rape, intimidation, conspiracy, and supplying drugs or instruments to have an abortion.
He pleaded not guilty to all four counts.
On Wednesday, the case against the actor resumed hearing in court where his accuser testified.
The matter was then adjourned to January 19, 2023.
In an interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Friday, actor Emmanuel Pantaleon's lawyer called the case an attempted blackmail.
READ ALSO:According to Mr. Armstrong, who claimed to be innocent, his accuser lived with him for four years.
She then left the house on her own. She wanted to come back, but he refused.
He further stated that after two years away from home, she began the charges.
“My arrest and detention have affected my career in some ways. Before my arrest, I had four pending jobs, but by the time I was released, they had been given away. small,” he said.
He added that during his detention, the girl in question came to visit him crying.
“She said she pulled the case and that was not what they told her. It was obvious she was being manipulated,” he said.
>Moses ArmstrongThe actor, former assistant to the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Emmanuel Udom, has described his suspension by the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, as regrettable.
According to him, the Guild disavowed him out of bigotry.
“I saw my suspension as bigotry because I am not Igbo. If I was Igbo, things would have turned out differently. Two other AGN members who are Igbo had the same problem, but they weren't suspended.
"However, Rollas chose to issue a suspension even without hearing from me, without hearing from my lawyer or my manager. This was pure bigotry. This is a guild I served diligently at the over the past 23 years,” he said.
No speculationSpeaking to this newspaper, Mr. Armstrong's lawyer confirmed that the case had been opened for trial.
According to him, the Complainant testified halfway through before he was adjourned until January.
"We cannot speculate at this time. The matter is before the courts, so we are not authorized to comment.
"When the case resumes, there may be a possible cross-examination of the key witness," he said.
BackgroundIn August, after fulfilling his bail conditions, the actor was released from prison.
The Actors Guild of Nigeria suspended him over the rape allegation.
The Akwa Ibom state-born actor, who started his career 23 years ago, lost his wife, Rita, in 2018.
The mother-of-two was returning from Lagos to her husband's residence in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, when the bus she was traveling in crashed on the Ugbogui axis of the Benin highway Ore Lagos.
Rita, a Nollywood actress, has died of a spinal injury...
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