MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 29-year old man, Opara Elisha, has been arrested and charged before the Court in Lagos State after he was caught by neighbours while engaging a 9-year old boy in anal sex.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Imam Abubakar Street, Meiran area of Lagos, where the victim reside with his parents.
He was charged for sexual assault by penetration through his anus under the Criminal Law of the State and remanded in custody over his unruly conduct.
According to the Police, Elisha lured the boy into his apartment, removed his trouser and forcefully penetrated his anus after rubbing cream on his dick to aid him.
The boy raised alarm, which attracted their neighbours including the boy’s parents.
The matter was reported to the Police at Meiran Division and Elisha was arrested and detained at the station from where he was transferred to the Gender Section of the Lagos State Police Command for interrogation over his dastardly conduct.
During interrogation, he reportedly admitted that he sexually molested the the boy in order to satisfy his sexual desire and pleaded for leniency.
The Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him before the Ogba Magistrates Court for the alleged offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment.
The Court did not take his plea when he was arraigned after the prosecutor, DSP Kehinde Ajayi, asked the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for advice as she informed the Court that it was a serious case of statutory rape by penetration through the anus.
Thus, the Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. E. Kubenije, order Elisha remanded in prison custody without an option of bail.
The Court also directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP for advice.
The matter was adjourned till 3rd May, 2023, for report of the DPP’s advice to be available,, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.
P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the matter may likely be transferred to the High Court if the DPP’s report finds him culpable and recommends that he should be tried for rape under the Lagos State Laws.