An Ikeja sexual offences and domestic violence court has sentenced Azeez Shoderu, a bricklayer, to life imprisonment for raping his neighbour’s eight-year-old daughter in a toilet in Lagos.
In a ruling on Monday, Rahman Oshodi, the presiding judge, found Shoderu guilty of a one-count charge of defilement brought against him by the Lagos state government.
Oshodi said the survivor’s testimony was compelling and corroborated by the evidence of the investigative police officer and a medical report.
“The prosecutrix gave eyewitness evidence that the convict, alias Chisco, took her to the toilet, covered her mouth, and committed the act,” NAN quoted the judge as saying.
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The judge noted that the survivor identified Shoderu as her neighbour and described how he fled after being spotted by another neighbour.
Oshodi added that the offence, committed in a toilet facility on Ago-Hausa street, Ajegunle, contravenes section 137 of the criminal laws of Lagos state, 2015.
Shoderu, a squatter in the area, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on September 29, 2023, but was found guilty following the evidence presented.
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The judge dismissed Shoderu’s defence as inconsistent, noting that his attempts to distance himself from the crime lacked credibility.
Oshodi highlighted that the convict admitted to interacting with the child at the compound and being at the toilet where the incident occurred.
However, the survivor’s account that Shoderu lured her to the toilet and assaulted her was consistent and supported by medical evidence.
“The convict’s actions have inflicted deep psychological wounds that may take a lifetime to heal,” Oshodi added.
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The court further ordered that Shoderu’s name be registered as a sex offender.
During the trial, Dare Dada, the state counsel, presented three witnesses and tendered exhibits.
