By Fatai Kasali
A 35-year-old man, Idowu Shoyede, has been remanded by a chief magistrate court in Ikeja for allegedly defiling his neighbour’s 16-year-old daughter.
The magistrate, E. Kubeinje, refused to take Mr Shoyede’s plea and ordered the police to duplicate the case file and send it to the office of Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions for advice.
Expressing fury at the high rate of child defilement in the state, the magistrate adjourned the case until January 16, 2024, for mention.
The prosecutor, ASP Kehinde Ajayi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on November 13 at the address mentioned above.
Mr Shoyede was caught having sexual intercourse with his neighbour’s 16-year-old daughter after luring her into his room and defiling her.
The prosecutor added that the defendant conducted himself in a manner likely to cause a breach, therefore, she directed that the defendant be kept in a custodial facility pending the advice.
The alleged offence contravenes section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos, 2015.
The offence is punishable with up to life imprisonment.