An Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court on Friday remanded a 43-year-old trader, Friday Okiye, at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre over the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl.
Okiye, who resides in the Ojo area of Lagos, is facing a charge of defilement. However, Chief Magistrate C.M. Kushanu did not take his plea.
The court ordered that he remain in custody pending legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and adjourned the case until September 30.
The prosecutor, Adegoke Ademigbuji, told the court that the alleged incident occurred at the Trade Fair Market, Aspanda, Ojo.
According to the prosecutor, Okiye allegedly lured his neighbour’s five-year-old cousin into his shop under the guise of giving her money.
He alleged that the defendant sexually assaulted the child while she cried, until her uncle, whose shop was nearby, was alerted by her screams and caught him in the act.
The prosecutor said the alleged offence contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015, which provides for life imprisonment upon conviction.
