Court sentences father to life imprisonment for defiling 8-year-old daughter

Justice Rahman Oshodi of a Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a father, Suleiman Usman to life imprisonment over defilement of his 8 years old daughter.

The judge sentenced the father to life imprisonment after he was found guilty as charged by the Lagos State government.

The state government had arraigned Usman on two counts charge bordering on defilement of his two daughters of 8 years and 5 years at their residence in 2 Bale Street, Onisewo area of Apapa area of Lagos State.

His offences contravene the provisions of section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.

He had pleaded not guilty to the two counts charge when he was arraigned.

Usman was first arraigned before Justice Sybil Nwaka on October 2019 before the judge was elevated to the Court of Appeal and the case file was reassigned to Justice Oshodi’s court where he was re-arraigned on two counts of charge.

During the trial, the prosecution called four witnesses among which were the first survivor, the 8 years old girl, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO), the defendant’s wife (the mother of the survivors), and the medical doctor from Mirabel Center.

After the close of the prosecution case, the defendant opens his defence. He called three witnesses including the defendant.

However, Justice Oshodi exonerated the convict of the second charge.

The court held that the prosecution failed to prove the second charge against the defendant as the second survivor did not testify to the 2nd charge related to her defilement.

On count one, the court held that the testimony of the first survivor corroborate the medical doctor. Justice Oshodi said that he has considered the ingredients of the offences, the confessional statement, circumstantial evidence, and the eyewitness account in sentencing the father to life imprisonment.

According to him, “Our society is prone to sexual abuse, sexual crime against children are so prevalent. Our laws in Lagos have zero tolerance for your gang of paedophiles that is not acceptable. In your case, the survivor is your daughter’s child. You put your penis in her virginal and her anus, the survivor was 8 years at the time because she has excruciating pain.

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