Justice Abiola Soladoye of the Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja on Monday sentenced a bricklayer, Idowu Gbolahan, to life imprisonment for defiling his seven-year-old niece.
Gbolahan, who was arraigned on one count of defilement by the Lagos State Government, committed the offence at his residence on Morocco Road, Shomolu on August 11, 2018.
The prosecutor, Feyinti Ogbemudia, had told the court that the convict molested the victim when she went to drink water in her grandmother’s room.
He had told the court that 30-year-old Gbolahan pulled off the victim’s pants and had forceful sexual intercourse with her while the cry of the victim drew the attention of neighbours who rescued her.
He added that the victim was referred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, where she was subsequently referred to the Mirabel Centre for examination and treatment.
Delivering the judgement on Monday, Justice Soladoye held that the victim had violated the chastity of the victim.
She said, “I have reviewed the facts of the case and I hereby find the defendant guilty of the one count of defilement.
“The defendant violated the chastity of a child, thereby leaving an indelible emotional trauma. I can imagine the trauma the child went through.
“According to Section 131 of the Lagos State Criminal Law, the defendant is hereby sentenced to life imprisonment.”