IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
One Oriyomi Sanni, a 20-year-old man, who was caught having defiling an 11-year-old girl, has told the police that she was his girlfriend.
He said he had carnal knowledge of the minor in an uncompleted building because he had no apartment in Lagos State.
The incident happened at an uncompleted building located at low-cost housing estate, Ijebu Road, Ikorodu area of Lagos State
It was learnt that while they were in the middle of the act, residents caught them and handed them over to the area’s police force who transferred the matter to the Gender Section of the Lagos State Command for investigation
While being interrogated, the Police found the man, Sanni, culpable for defiling the underaged girl and charged him before the Ogba Magistrates Court. Defilement attracts life imprisonment.
The court did not take his plea after the prosecutor, Inspector Lucky Ihiehie asked the court to refer the matter to the DPP for advice
The presiding Magistrate, Mrs O.A. Layinka, ruled that Sanni should be remanded in Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the case file and send it to the DPP for advice.
The matter was adjourned till 25th August 2021 for the report of the DPP to be available while the defendant will remain in custody pending when the DPP’s report will be ready in order to determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Inspector Ihiehie, told the court that Sanni committed the offence on 21st June 2021, at an uncompleted building before some members of the community handed him over to the police.
Ihiehie said the offence Sanni allegedly committed contravened Sections 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which prescribes life imprisonment for defilement.