Court remands man for allegedly raping neighbour’s four-year-old daughter
A 21-year-old man, Isa Abdulkareem, has been sentenced to death by hanging for armed robbery by a High Court sitting in Ado-Ekiti yesterday. Justice Oluwatoyin Abodunde, while handing down the sentence, said: “I found the defendant guilty and he is sentenced to death by hanging. May the Lord have mercy on his soul”.

According to the prosecutor, Mr. Gbemiga Adaramola, the defendant committed the offence of armed robbery contrary to Sec.(402)(2) of the Criminal Code Cap C16, Laws of Ekiti State Nigeria.

“During the robbery, the defendant was armed with offensive weapons such as gun and cutlass on December 19 and 23, 2016 respectively when he robbed one Adeya Olalekan of a sum of N74,000, Infinix Note 2 phone among others. He also robbed one Olomola Taiwo of a sum of N110,000 and 2 Techno Y6 phones.

“The robbery operation took place at Oke-Ureje, along Igirigiri Road, Ado Ekiti. The defendant was arrested by the community members during a combined vigilante exercise. On interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime and took security agents to their hideout where they met gang members and kept their weapons.

“Exhibits recovered at the hideout include four Dane guns and toy guns, locally-made pistols, four Nokia phones, four Techno phones, masks, cutlasses, charms, axe, victim’s wife headgear used to wrap the money, expended cartridges, knives, pellets, cash sum of N10,000 among others.”

He was first arraigned on January 8, 2018, where the charges were read and interpreted to him, though he pleaded not guilty.
The defendant was led in evidence by his counsel, Mr. Adeyinka Opaleke, who called no witness.

Meanwhile, a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, yesterday ordered that a 28-year-old man, Yakubu Afonla, who allegedly defiled a neighbour’s four-year-old daughter, be remanded in Ikoyi Custodial Centre. The police charged Afonla with defilement.

Chief Magistrate Olufunke Sule-Amzat gave the order pending when the case would be filed at the Ikeja Special and Sexual Offences Court. Sule-Amzat adjourned the case until May 21.

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, ASP Benson Emuerhi, had told the court that the defendant committed the offence on Feb. 11 at Balogun Street, Iju Ishaga area of Lagos State. He alleged that the defendant defiled his neighbour’s daughter by inserting his penis inside her vagina.

Emuerhi said that the offence contravened the provisions of Section 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015. After listening to the charge against him, the defendant pleaded not guilty.