A 26-year-old man, Chibuzor Emealo, who allegedly abducted and raped a 13-year-old girl, was on Monday remanded in Kirikiri Prisons on the orders of an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
The Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi, who refused to take the plea of the accused, said he should be kept behind bars pending advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions.
Emealo, a resident of Edidi Street, Amukoko, a Lagos suburb, is being tried for defilement.
The accused, according to the Police Prosecutor, ASP Ezekiel Ayorinde, committed the offence on June 11 at Orile-Iganmu, Lagos.
He alleged that the accused forcefully took the girl away from the custody of her parents and had a carnal knowledge of her.
“The accused went to the girl’ house, entered the room where she was sleeping, dragged her into his vehicle and drove her away to an unknown location.
“Neighbours, who saw the accused dragging the girl into his vehicle, called the mother to inform her that a stranger had taken her daughter away.
“The accused took her to a canal, threatened to kill her if she refused to comply.
“He forcefully made love to her several times until the following morning and put her in
the boot of his car and dropped her off in front of her parents’ house at 5.00 a.m,” Ayorinde said.
The prosecutor said the girl’s parents reported the case at the police station which led to the arrest of the accused.
The offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the offence is punishable with life imprisonment.
The magistrate adjourned the case until July 25 for the mention.
