MICHAEL AKINOLA
A 48-year old man, Philip Agaku, has been arrested and charged in Lagos State for allegedly engaging the 15-year old daughter of a soldier in sex inside the Barracks for the past seven years from when the victim was eight years.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Mammy Market, Arakan Barracks, Apapa area of Lagos, where they reside.
The victim was said to have lost their mother and left in the care of the father, who often travels outside the Barracks for assignments.
The suspect was said to have taken advantage of their father’s absence, started sleeping with her and warned her not to tell anyone about it.
However, when the victim was unable to continue keep it to herself, she informed her sister who then told their father about it and the matter was reported to the Commander of the Barracks.
The suspect was then handed over to the Police at the Gender Section of the State Police Command for interrogation over his alleged conduct.
After rounds of interrogation, the Police found him culpable and consequently charged him before the Ogba Magistrate Court for the alleged offence, which attracts several years of imprisonment.
The charge read:
“That you, Phillip Agaku ‘m’ sometimes in the year 2017 – April 2024, at Mammy Market, Arakan Barrack Apapa, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial District, did defile the victim by having forceful sexual intercourse with her and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 137 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2015.”
The Court did not take his plea when he was arraigned following a motion moved by the prosecutor, Supol Akeem Raji, asking the Court to refer the matter to the DPP for legal advice.
The Presiding Magistrate, Mr. L.A. Owolabi, ordered his remand in custody at the correctional center at Kirikiri town, Lagos, pending the outcome of the DPP’s legal advice and directed the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP.
The matter was adjourned till 11th November, 2024, for mention while the defendant was remanded in custody at the correctional center pending when he will perfect his bail conditions.