Your plea for mercy cannot outweigh the gravity of the offence ...," the judge said.
The Lagos State Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja has sentenced a 25-year-old man, Abodurin Apelogun, to life imprisonment for raping his neighbour's seven-year-old daughter during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The judge, Rahman Oshodi, delivered the judgement on Tuesday after finding Mr Apelogun guilty of one count of defilement.
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Mr Apelogun, a graphic designer, was first arraigned on 27 October 2021, and pleaded not guilty.
He was re-arraigned on 29 May, following an amendment to the charge dated 23 April.
The prosecution said the offence occurred on 19 June 2020, at No. 48A, Oil Mill Street, Lagos Island, when Mr Apelogun unlawfully had sexual intercourse with the minor, in violation of Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015).
Led by State Counsel Babajide Boye, the prosecution called four witnesses and tendered two exhibits, while the defence called three witnesses.
The survivor, who testified as the first witness, told the court that Mr Apelogun assaulted her in her parents' absence.
Her father, the second witness, said he discovered the crime after questioning his children about inappropriate contact.
He said his daughter identified the convict, prompting him to report the case at Lion Building Police Station, which later referred it to the Gender Desk Unit.
A medical doctor at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Oyedeji Alagbe, testified that medical findings confirmed the survivor's account of sexual assault.
Judgement
Mr Oshodi declared that the prosecution presented credible and convincing evidence to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt.
"There was both circumstantial and medical evidence from the Mirabel Centre supporting the survivor's consistent testimony," the judge said.
He noted that the convict showed no remorse despite the weight of evidence.
"Your plea for mercy cannot outweigh the gravity of the offence because defilement inflicts lifelong trauma on children," Mr Oshodi added.
The judge sentenced Mr Apelogun to life imprisonment and ordered that his name be entered into the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register, a public database managed by the state's Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA).
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The register publishes names and photographs of convicted sex offenders to aid background checks and deter abuse.
Lagos's register complements Nigeria's National Sexual Offenders and Service Provider Database, launched by NAPTIP in 2019 to track convictions nationwide under the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015.
Mr Oshodi further directed that the convict be transferred from the Medium Correctional Centre to the Maximum Security Custodial Centre, Kirikiri, to serve his sentence.
The verdict comes amid rising reports of child sexual abuse in Lagos. According to a PREMIUM TIMES investigation, the state recorded hundreds of defilement cases yearly between 2020 and 2023, while a HumAngle Media report found that more than 60 per cent of sexual-offence prosecutions in Lagos involve child victims.
