A Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced a father, Suleiman Usman, to life imprisonment for defilement of his 8-year-old daughter.
The trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, sentenced Usman to life imprisonment on Tuesday, May 30, 2023, after he was found guilty of the charge preferred against him by the Lagos State government.
Usman was arraigned on two counts charge bordering on defilement of his two daughters, aged 8 and 5, at their residence situated at No. 2 Bale Street, Onisewo area of Apapa in Lagos.
The state noted that the offences contravene the provisions of section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
He had, however, 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 Centre.
After the close of the prosecution case, defence opens his case. Three witnesses including the defendant gave evidence before the court.
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 second 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.
He said, “Our society is prone to sexual abuse, sexual crime against children is so prevalent. Our laws in Lagos have zero tolerance for your gang of pedophiles; that is not acceptable. In your case, the survivor is your daughter. You put your penis in her virginal and her anus, the survivor was 8 years at the time because she had excruciating pain.
“You are hereby convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment,” the court ruled.
