Lagos court remands driver, 30, for allegedly defiling 7-year-old girl

Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye of an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday revoked the bail granted a driver, Samuel Akanni, for allegedly defiling a seven-year-old girl and remanded him in prison custody.

“The defendant is hereby remanded in prison custody and the bail earlier given to him by the lower court is hereby revoked,” she ruled.

Earlier, the prosecution led by Mr Babajide Boye, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on July 14, 2013 at his residence located at No. 31, Powerline St., Oko-Oba, Agege, a Lagos suburb.

Boye said: “The defendant was a neighbour of the victim (name witheld) and her family; they all lived in one bedroom apartment popularly known as “Face-me-I-face-you’’. “The defendant’s apartment was opposite the child and her family’s apartment and he had the habit of always sending the victim on errands.

“On two occasions, he lured the victim to his apartment where he had unlawful sexual intercourse with her.” The prosecutor said Akanni was caught when the victim, after the second round of defilement, told her mother when she kept having unusual discharges from her private part.

He added that the victim and her family had to relocate from the apartment after the incident because of the trauma. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 137 prescribes life imprisonment for offenders.

NAN also reports that the victim and her father were in court as prosecution witnesses. Justice Ipaye adjourned the case to April 19 and April 20 for continuation of trial.

Vanguard