MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 47-year old man, Sunny Steven, has landed in trouble in Lagos State for allegedly defiling his church member’s 10-year old girl.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the suspect, Steven, has been arrested and charged for defilement, which attracts several years of imprisonment or life imprisonment.
The incident happened at Emillogo Street, Agege area of Lagos.
Steven was said to have secretly defiled the little girl since 2021 before it got exposed recently. Shocked by the revelation, the Pastor of the Church reported the dastardly act to the Police. He was then arrested and transferred to the Gender Section of the Command for interrogation.
During interrogation, he denied doing so but told the Police that he only hugged her tightly twice and did not penetrate her. But the girl exposed him by recalling how it all started from the Church in 2021 and he was speechless.
The Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him before the Ogba Magistrate Court for the alleged offence, which contravened Section 137 of the Criminal Laws of the State.
However, when he was arraigned, the Court did not take his plea following a motion moved by the prosecutor, DSP Kehinde Ajayi, asking the Court to give a date and refer the matter to the DPP for legal advice.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mrs. E. Kubenije, ordered his remand in custody at the Correctional Centre at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending when the DPP’s report will be ready and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP.
The matter was adjourned till 27th September, 2023, for mention for the 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.