Suleiman Usman, a father, was found guilty of raping his 8-year-old daughter and was given a life sentence by a court in Lagos State that deals with sexual offenses and domestic violence.
Following his conviction for the accusation brought against him by the Lagos State government, Usman was given a life sentence by the trial judge, Justice Rahman Oshodi, on May 30, 2023.
At their home at No. 2 Bale Street in the Onisewo neighborhood of Apapa, Lagos, Usman was charged with defiling his two daughters, aged 5 and 8, on two separate charges.
The state highlighted that the offences violate section 137 of the 2015 Criminal Law of Lagos State, which contains the relevant provisions.
However, at his arraignment, he had entered a not guilty plea to the two counts of the accusation.
Usman was initially charged in front of Justice Sybil Nwaka in October 2019. After the judge was promoted to the Court of Appeals, the case file was transferred to Justice Oshodi’s court, where Usman was then charged with two more charges.
The prosecution summoned four witnesses in total throughout the trial, including the first survivor, the 8-year-old girl, the investigating police officer (IPO), the defendant’s wife (the survivors’ mothers), and the medical expert from Mirabel Centre.
After the close of the prosecution case, defence opens his case. Three witnesses including the defendant gave evidence before the court.
However, Justice Oshodi exonerated the convict of the second charge.
The court held that the prosecution failed to prove the second charge against the defendant as the second survivor did not testify to the second charge related to her defilement.
On count one, the court held that the testimony of the first survivor corroborate the medical doctor. Justice Oshodi said that he has considered the ingredients of the offences, the confessional statement, circumstantial evidence, and the eyewitness account in sentencing the father to life imprisonment.
He said, “Our society is prone to sexual abuse, sexual crime against children is so prevalent. Our laws in Lagos have zero tolerance for your gang of pedophiles; that is not acceptable. In your case, the survivor is your daughter. You put your penis in her vagina and her anus, the survivor was 8 years at the time because she had excruciating pain.
“You are hereby convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment,” the court ruled.
READ ALSO FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
