The Police at Ikotun Division, Lagos State, have arraigned a 45-year-old man before the Magistrate Court for alleged defilement of a minor.
The defendant, Chidera Adonu, 45, was arraigned before the Magistrate Court sitting in the Lagos Magisterial District on a one-count charge bordering on defilement, an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
According to the Charge Sheet, titled Commissioner of Police Vs Chidera Adonu, the alleged offence was committed on 10th September, 2026, between 1530hrs and 1700hrs at No. 45, Olabode Street, Okerube, Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District.
The Police alleged that the defendant unlawfully defiled a 14-year-old girl at the said address.
Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State provides that any person who has sexual intercourse with a child is guilty of defilement and is liable to life imprisonment.
The Charge Sheet was signed by CSP Sadiku Afolabi Ibrahim of Ikotun Police Station. The Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in the matter was listed as W/Inspector Ujah Paulina of Ikotun Division.
The defendant was arraigned before Mrs. M. O. Tanimola, sitting as Magistrate in the Lagos Magisterial District. The prosecutor in the matter was ASP Lucky Ihehie.
After the charge was read to the defendant, the Magistrate did not take his plea on the grounds that the Court lacks jurisdiction to hear the substantive matter, which is a capital offence that requires legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
Consequently, Mrs. M. O. Tanimola ordered that the defendant be remanded in custody at the Correctional Centre, Kirikiri Town, Lagos, pending the report of DPP’s advice which will determine the jurisdiction and the next line of action.
The Court also directed that the case file be duplicated and sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
The Magistrate ordered that the defendant remain in custody pending the outcome of the DPP’s advice and adjourned the matter accordingly.
Police sources at Ikotun Division told P.M.EXPRESS that the case was reported by concerned family members of the victim, who alleged that the minor was defiled at the said address in Abaranje area of Ikotun.
Following the report, Police detectives from Ikotun Division were said to have swung into action, arrested the suspect and took the victim to a medical facility for examination and necessary treatment.
The Police said investigation is ongoing and the case file has been duplicated and forwarded to the DPP for legal advice, which is the standard procedure in cases of defilement and other serious offences.
The Lagos State Government has repeatedly warned that it has zero tolerance for sexual offences, particularly offences against children, and that anyone found culpable will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Under the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA), cases of defilement and sexual assault are given priority attention, with free medical, legal and psychosocial support provided for survivors.
The Police have advised parents and guardians to be vigilant and to monitor the movement and welfare of their children, particularly female children, to prevent them from falling prey to sexual predators.
The Police also urged members of the public to promptly report any case of sexual abuse or defilement to the nearest Police Station or to the Lagos State DSVA for immediate action.
The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.