Bricklayer gets life imprisonment for sexual abuse, as court finds survivor’s testimony credible
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A court has sentenced a bricklayer, Azeez Shoderu, alias Chisco, to life imprisonment for sexually abusing his neighbour’s eight-year-old daughter in a toilet jointly shared by tenants in a tenement accommodation in a shanty area of Lagos.
The convict was sentenced by Judge Rahman Oshodi of the state Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court in Ikeja, following the prosecution’s prove of the charge of defilement.
Oshodi held that “the evidence before this court is overwhelming and the prosecution has proved the charge of defilement beyond reasonable doubt.”
He said Shoderu’s narrative was inconsistent and unconvincing.
The court heard during trial that the offence occurred on 27 July 2022 at the compound where the convict was a squatter at 25 Ago-Hausa Street, Ajegunle, in Ajeromi Ifelodun Council of the state.
Shoderu admitted to interacting with the child, claiming he had asked her to bring water to him in the toilet.
However, the survivor testified that “I went to urinate at the bathroom when he covered my mouth, placed me on his lap, and had sexual intercourse with me.”
The convict denied any wrongdoing when questioned at the police station and pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on 29 September 2023.
The prosecution, led by O.S. Dada, called three witnesses and tendered exhibits to prove the charge.
The defence counsel pleaded for leniency, saying the convict was a first-time offender and expressed hope the sentence would serve as a lesson to him.
However, the prosecution urged the court to consider Shoderu’s exploitation of his position, stressing that “the victim was eight years old, a child who should have been safe in her home environment.”
After hearing the submissions, Oshodi said: “The investigating police officer [IPO] indicated that this is not the convict’s first offence.”
The court found the survivor’s testimony credible and corroborated by the medical report and evidence from the IPO and the medical doctor.
“A child who has not attained the age of 18 years is incapable of consenting to sexual activity. The convict’s actions have inflicted deep psychological wounds on the victim, which may take a lifetime to heal,” the Judge ruled.
He found Shoderu guilty of defilement and sentenced him to life imprisonment, and also ordered his name registered in the Lagos State Sexual Offenders Register.
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