An Ikorodu Chief Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, August 3, remanded a 40-year-old, Abdulai Lawal at the Kirikiri correctional facility for allegedly defiling his neighbour’s 3-year-old daughter.
The Prosecutor, Olawunmi Osinbajo, had earlier told the court that Lawal committed the offence on July 25 at Owutu, in the “Agric’’ area of Ikorodu, Lagos State.
Oinbajo said the accused carried the three-year-old into his room while she was playing in the sand outside the house and had carnal knowledge of her.
She added that when the child’s mother went searching for her daughter and calling out her name in shrieks, the child emerged from Lawal’s room with blood stains on her leg and clothes.
The mother quickly reported the case to the police, leading to Lawa’s arrest, Osinbajo said.
The prosecutor said Lawal’s offence contravened the Criminal Laws of Lagos State (2015).
The presiding chief magistrate, A.B Olagbegi-Adelabu, did not take the plea of the accused, but referred the case file to the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
Olagbegi-Adelabu also ordered that the defendant be remanded in prison custody pending the advice and adjourned the case till September 14, 2023, for mention.