A Lagos State Magistrate Court in Badagry, on Wednesday, ordered the remand of Sunday Lukas in a correctional centre for allegedly defiling a nine-year-old girl.
The chief magistrate, Patrick Adekomaiya, directed that the 44-year-old be remanded at the Awarjigoh Correctional Centre in Badagry after he pleaded not guilty to the alleged crime.
He also ordered that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.
Earlier, the police prosecutor, Ayodele Adeosun, told the court that the defendant committed the alleged offence on 28 May, around noon, at 4 Aribena Street, Ijanikin, Lagos.
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The prosecutor told the court that the suspect “indecently assaulted” the girl by inserting his fingers into her pubic area.
According to him, the offence committed contravened Section 135, of the criminal law of Lagos State 2015.
Consequently, the magistrate remanded him in prison custody pending legal advice from the DPP.
He adjourned the case until 28 October, when a ruling on the defendant’s bail application and the DPP’s advice will be considered.
Gender-based violence
Lately, there has been an increase in reported cases of sexual and gender-based violence.
Lagos, for instance, recorded 24,009 cases of gender-based violence in the last five years between January 2019 and December 2023.
Also, in the Northern part of the country, the Salma Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) in Kafanchan, Kaduna State, has recorded 3,977 cases of sexual and gender-based violence since its inception in 2019.
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