Izuchukwu OkosiFormer Nigeria youth international Akinkunmi Amoo has been handed a one-year jail sentence for sexual assault offences in Denmark.
Amoo who has also been capped for the Super Eagles had faced other criminal offences in 2022 before the latest infraction.
The diminutive playmaker who was part of the Nigerian U-17 national team to the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil has been accused by three women for indecent assault, attempted rape, and rape in a non-intercourse sexual relationship.
The three women testified and shared their experiences with the player in court.
The prosecutor sought a 21-month prison sentence and deportation but the defendant was ultimately sentenced to one year in prison.
Amoo will still face deportation from Denmark despite the initial ruling – and with a six-year entry ban – in addition to covering the cost of the case.
However the Nigerian has decided to appeal the decision in the High Court.
Amoo in his testimony claimed that one of the women and a male acquaintance tried to swindle him of the sum of 30,000 to 40,000 Danish kroner.
The player claimed the man accused him of rape and encouraged him to pay the sum to the woman as a “bribe,” as reiterated by his defence attorney in court.
Throughout the proceedings, the Nigerian international who was on the standby list for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, held in January 2022, consistently pleaded not guilty to all charges brought forward by the prosecutor, encompassing indecent assault, attempted rape, and rape in a non-intercourse sexual relationship.
Nigerian players in the past have been caught in the web of serious sexual offences, the most notable being that of Etim Esin, the hugely talented football star whose career was wrecked after facing similar case in Belgium in 1993.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
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